Three's a Charm
by DayDreamer1212
Summary: Pervious published by The Mauradas Three's a Charm has been brought over to my profile. Three best friends enter the world of talking beasts. Two are descendants of royalty, and the third is child of Narnia's worst enemy. They're there to find their true purpose, will they? Peter/OC Susan/OC Caspian/OC Edmund/OC
1. IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE READ BEFORE STORY

Hello, for all those who have read this story on my friends and I's account- The Mauradas, this is our story Three's a Charm; we've decided to continue it. It's just on Huffy's aka my personal account, Hope you like it!

-XOXO The Mauradas


	2. Ditches and Hide 'n Seek

CHAPTER ONE:

"Eighty-Eight, Eighty-Nine." The seeker's voice rang through the house, and you could hear the footsteps of three girls running through the door, their squeals mixed with the stomping of their feet was the only sound as they ran towards the woods. Breathless, they stopped at a bright clearing, looking around for a decent hiding spot.

"Hannah! I cannot believe you! You nearly ripped my arm out of its socket for this ridiculous game!" said the raven haired girl of the group angrily. _'Next time I don't think I'll be so lucky.'_

"Well I'm sorry DELINA, but I don't want to be caught by little Wilke of all people!" said the brown-haired Hannah, grabbing her knees for support.

"Don't call me DELINA." Said the girl, her eyes flaming.

"Are we going to hide, or just stand here and let Wilke catch ALL of us?" The third girl, Natalie, laughed at how immature her friends were being. The other two snapped out of their petty argument and joined their friend in their search for the perfect hiding spot. Hannah and Delina crept ahead of the Natalie carefully surveying the landscape Hannah had crept forward when she stopped and gasped, "Whoa." as she stared down into a deep crevice that split the earth of the forest.

"Lina!?" An anxious young boy's voice called from behind the trees. Hannah and Natalie continued to gawk at the ditch, as Delina raced towards them.

"We have to try and fin-" Lina raced towards her two friends but lost her footing and fell down into the cavern, dragging Natalie and Hannah with her. The three girls shut their eyes tight, waiting for the impact of the fall as darkness closed in around them.

* * *

Hannah blinked repeatedly as she opened her eyes. Her heart raced as she sat up wondering where her friends were. Seeing Natalie and Lina lying motionless on the floor did not help to ease her worries, however seeing their chests gently rising and falling helped to calm her nerves.

_'They're not dead. That's a relief. Now I just have to wake them up. Shouldn't be too hard right?'_ Hannah shook Natalie lightly, who just mumbled and rolled over. Sighing and rolling her eyes, Hannah tried the same with Lina who swatted her hand away. _'Alight time to try something different.'_ She was near to screaming, when she heard male voices and stopped cold.

"Pete, I swear I heard something over here! Just come and look!"

Hannah froze, trying to keep her breathing as quiet as possible. The voices grew louder and louder, but eventually faded into silence. She let out a sigh of relief, and turned to see her friends still lying motionless on the ground. Reaching out both her hands, Hannah forcibly squeezed their noses shut. The two shot up and slapped her hands away. Hannah made a sign for the two to remain silent. Taking in their surroundings the girls saw that they were in a forest, but it wasn't familiar like the one back home. It was completely different; this new forest held a prestige that made the girls' hearts flutter with wonder. Looking around, they spotted a vast lake, glimmering against the sunlight. It was surrounded by beautiful, rolling hills which at some points flattened out into majestic looking meadows. On top of a hill, through a clearing of the trees, they could just make out the image of a magnificent castle, which at first made the girls think that they were hallucinating, but they realized it was actually there- a grand castle that looked straight out of a fairytale. The girls looked at each other, not believing their eyes, but hearing a voice behind them snapped them back into reality.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" All three girls whipped around simultaneously, catching a view of a man with a strong dark face and a slim form covered in chain-mail. The boy, who looked about nineteen, quickly dropped his dazed smile as the girls stared at him with wide eyes.

"Now please don't r-" before the boy could finish his sentence, the girls sprinted off into three different directions. Not caring where they were going, they passed several trees and burrows until they found themselves bumping into each other in the same clearing that the dark haired boy had appeared from. Breathless, they were about to sit down, when the boy appeared again. The girls, still thoroughly frightened, backed up into a clump together.

"Now, in all seriousness," the boy huffed with an interesting Spanish accent, "please don't run." The girls simply did not listen and took off in a mad dash. As they continued to run, swerving through trees as they went, Lina came to a dead stop. Natalie stopped, practically running her over, and looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"What are you doing? He's going to catch us!"

Lina pointed to something below her and snapped, "Well I didn't really want to fall again. Especially not down that hill-" Hannah suddenly crashed into the two of them, not realizing they had stopped running. The three of them tumbled down the hill, but before hitting the ground again, Lina and Natalie felt a pair of strong arms around each of them stopping their fall. Hannah, who had not gotten caught, landed smack on her face- again.

Hannah rolled over and grumbled, "If I fall on my face on more time I swear I'm gonna-". The boy with shoulder length dark hair and dark brown eyes waked over towards her and said, "Sorry about that, I tried to catch you but, obviously, it didn't really work out. Here, let me help you." he said extending his hand to her. "I'm Caspian, by the way." Hannah gave him a quizzical and slightly irritated glance and replied shortly, "Hannah. Hannah Marborough and I think I'm better off without your help, thank you." The boy helping Lina set her on her feet, and laughed. He had messy blond hair and sparkling grey-blue eyes.

"I think she's right. You've been a lot of help to the dear girl already, Casp. We don't want you to break her. I'm Peter, by the way. That's my brother, Edmund." he said gesturing to a dark haired boy who was standing behind their horses. "That is our friend, Caspian." He gestured to the boy who had dropped Hannah. "And I really have no idea where my dear sisters have wandered off to." The girls all stepped towards each other again Hannah and Natalie behind Lina, who put her arms in front of the two, for whatever protection she could possibly offer. The three jumped with a start as they heard horses coming towards them.

"Peter! We missed the stag again! Honestly it's been one-thousand years and we still can't even- Oh my!" The three girls raised their eyebrows as two girls on a large unicorn approached. The older girl, who looked about seventeen, drew an arrow from a pouch slung across her back and readied her bow.

"Who are you?" She asked in a steely dark voice, "And why have you come here?" The blonde haired boy stared at her in disbelief.

"Honestly, Su! They're scared senseless of us, and you go and draw a weapon on them! What kind of Gentle Queen are you?"

Susan lowered her bow and grumbled, "Alright, alright, brother dearest. But we still have no idea who they are; they could be criminals for all we know!" Edmund stepped out from behind the horses and sighed.

"I'm with Susan. They could be supporters of Miraz, of all things." Peter gave him an irritated look.

"Really, Ed? They don't even look like Telmarines." Lina grew tired of listening to their arguments.

"You talk about us as if we aren't even here." She said with a huff, "Well, here's a lovely break in the weather, WE ARE." She snapped stepping forward. Natalie looked at her with disbelief and whispered,

"Lina would it kill you to be nice? We don't want one of those swords in our backs." Hannah simply stared with her mouth open. The pale skinned boy stared at Lina in utter offense.

"Is that any way to address a King?" He asked in a smirking voice. Lina took a daring step forward.

"Aren't you all a bit young to be kings and queens?" asked Hannah rather bluntly. She was ignored.

"No, perhaps it isn't, but it certainly is the way you address a little boy with a head too big for his brain." Lina retorted, laughing. The silence was broken by the younger of the two sisters sliding off the unicorn's back, which snapped the quarreling twosome out of their deathly staring contest.

"What has gotten into all of you?" she demanded with furious eyes. "They're obviously not from anywhere around here!" She turned to the three girls and softened her glance into a questioning frown. "I'm Lucy, and this is my sister Susan. Where did you say you all are you from?" Natalie spoke first, hoping to silence Lina, who would have said something sharp and sarcastic.

"We're from England, Surrey specifically." The four kings and queens looked at each other with happy recognition lighting up their eyes, until the youngest girl, looking about 15 years old spoke up.

"So how did you get here?" Hannah looked around, then back at the girl.

"Where exactly is here?" she asked completely confused.

"Narnia of course" said Caspian.

"Well we we're playing a game of hide in seek, until we fell down a ditch and ended up in... Narnia," Natalie concluded, the foreign name rolling off her tongue. She shook her head at the ridiculousness of her statement, whispering to herself "That sounds absolutely idiotic." Caspian laughed and sarcastically stated, "Falling seems to be a favorite past time of yours." Hannah simply glared at him and stated, "Well at least I don't drop people on their faces!" Caspian blushed and looked down ashamedly.

"You were falling too fast." he mumbled to himself. However he immediately calmed down and asked to no one in particular, "What are we going to do with you damsels?" There was a silence as everyone began to think. A low rumble alerted the group to another's presence.

"They are to remain at Cair Paravel, as my esteemed guests." Hannah, Natalie, and Lina's eyes widened as they saw a large lion walk towards the group, while the five kings and queens dropped to their knees. They heard Lucy gasp the word Aslan creeping softly out of her mouth.

"There's a talking lion." Stated Hannah dumbfounded, "What kind of sick dream is this?" Natalie glanced back at the kings and queens, then back at Lina and Hannah and whispered.

"Do you think we should kneel too?" Lina dismissed the idea, and daringly took a step toward the lion.

"Please send us back home." The lion gave her a long grave look.

"Unfortunately, my child, there is nothing I can do to send any of you back home, Narnia has called you to help you find who you are, and until you do, the choice of the matter remains with Narnia." Aslan stared deep into Lina's eyes. There was a silence until Edmund spoke up

"You won't be much missed at home." This immediately started an uproar between the monarchs.

"How can you say that?" demanded Peter.

"What's wrong with you? How can you say something like that?" Susan was furious. Edmund held up his hands in surrender and yelled over the shocked protests.

"I MEANT! I meant..." He said lowering his voice. "Time on Earth stops for Narnia, so when they return, if they return, no one will realize they had left. It's the same as when we left during the Golden Age." Aslan nodded.

"Now I do believe that these introductions have gone far longer than necessary, and your guests must be rather tired." Aslan chuckled as Hannah yawned rather loudly. He smiled at the girls, then proclaimed, "The kings and queens will escort you to Cair Paravel. Soon you will discover your purposes in Narnia, but for now a well-deserved rest awaits you." He shook his mane and let out a roar that rang through the clear skies, and then he disappeared along with his echoing voice that faded in the breeze of the wind.

The girls turned around to face the others, and then Caspian spoke up. "Well I guess we better get moving. We have a long ride ahead of us."

As the kings and queens mounted their horses, the girls looked at each other.

"I'm not so sure about this. How do we know that this is a good idea?" whispered Lina with concern. Natalie spoke, glancing back at them.

"We have no choice but to trust them." Hannah and Lina nodded in agreement, but not really sure about the idea. Then Caspian rode over on his horse and gave his hand to Hannah, telling her to get on. She laughed and sarcastically concluded.

"No. There is no way I'm riding with you. For all I know your horse would probably knock me on my face too." Caspian smirked and gritted his teeth trying not to leave a trace of bitterness as he talked.

"That was an accident, and I'm sure you would rather ride with me than walk all the way there." Hannah laughed and mumbled.

"I'm not so sure about that."

Edmund came over and interrupted them, giving Caspian a glare that made it clear he was tired of him making things difficult, he looked back at Hannah and said, "Why don't you just ride with me?" She agreed and climbed onto his horse. Peter walked over to Natalie and politely asked.

"Would you do me the pleasure of riding with me?" He bowed elaborately for effect, and then leaned towards her and whispered in her ear, "I promise I won't let my horse drop you." Natalie laughed, then simply stated "Alright," as she climbed on his horse.

Caspian walked over to Lina and bluntly stated, "It looks like you're with me." Lina rolled her eyes, and as she mounted his horse, murmured,

"It would seem so."


	3. Three New Guests and a New Friendship

CHAPTER 2:

The day had grown dark as they continued to ride toward Cair Paravel. It had been hours since they had seen even a glimpse of the castle in the distance, and the girls were starting to become weary of the never ending ride, even if Lucy had tried to keep their minds occupied by playing games and asking them a seemingly endless list of questions about their home. Lina, Natalie and Hannah found her adorable, but Edmund was becoming visibly annoyed with every question she asked.

"So what school did you go to?" Lucy inquired. Edmund groaned and thought to himself, _'Not another question! Any more questions and I might go mad.'_ Lina rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Lucy, smiled at her, and said, "We went to Hogw-." However before she could finish Edmund cut her off, saying, "We've reached Cair Paravel."

Hannah, Natalie and Lina looked forward to see before them was a magnificent castle that was perched on top of a mountain. Three of the sides flattened out into a beach surrounded by sparkling water. The pillars of the roof reached up and touched the clouds, the buildings that made up the castle were in disconnect, yet the whole castle was still joined on the side of the mountain. The grandest aspect of the castle, though, was the thousands of windows which seemed to bring a symphony of light to the surrounding area. The girls looked at each other in amazement at the enchanting sight.

Once they reached the entrance, the men helped the girls off their horses, or at least tried to when Susan walked over to them, and with a smile on her face, said, "Come. I'll show you to your rooms, and get you some new clothes," She laughed to herself when the girls starred at her in confusion and simply stated, "Because you three will probably scare the maids with all the dirt you're covered in."

Lina was furious and opened her mouth to start talking, but Natalie stopped her with one sharp look. Lina sighed in defeat, and followed the others into the castle. As they walked in, each of the kings were gazing after one of the three girls with a smile on their faces.

* * *

Natalie was showed to her room by Caspian, as Susan dashed away to try and find some proper clothes that would fit the girls. Natalie stared out the windows of her room in a daze.

"Will that be all, milady?" asked Caspian inclining his head. Natalie shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Of course, ah, your majesty. But please, just Natalie is fine." She said entering a simple curtsy. Caspian simply raised one eyebrow.

"Just Natalie it is then" he replied. Natalie gave him a look which made his smirk grow wide. There was a knock and Susan opened the door slowly. She saw the two in the room and gave them each a questioning glance. Natalie immediately blushed and looked down. Seeing the awkwardness she had created in the room, Susan broke the silence, "I hope this fits." Susan said holding out a deep blue and silver dress. When Natalie gave Susan er thanks, the gentle queen gave a curt nod and all but dragged Caspian from the room in order to give Natalie some privacy. Natalie immediately slipped the dress on and admired herself in the mirror. She thought to herself _'Hannah will love these dresses. They're so comfortable, and Lina-' _She froze in her thoughts and ran out the door. She knew Lina absolutely despised dresses, and she knew Lina's sharp tongue could end up being a problem. When she heard voices coming from the other side of the hallway, she turned and saw Lina and Caspian standing in the hall a pleasant smile on their faces. Natalie suddenly felt a flash of something, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.

"Thanks for getting me the pants and shirt, Caspian. I think I would have died in that dress." Caspian's laugh rang through the hall, and Natalie caught herself smiling.

_'He has a really nice laugh.'_ She thought to herself, as she walked up to the pair smiling.

"Hello, Lady Natalie." said Caspian with a little bow. Natalie smiled as Lina politely excused herself, winking at the blushing girl.

"You look lovely." Said Caspian simply, not meeting Natalie's eyes. Again Natalie blushed lightly, and stared at the ground.

"So does this castle. Mind giving me a tour?" She asked softly. Caspian was about to answer when the two saw Edmund running down the hall toward them. He stopped when he saw them, and leaned over, putting his hands on his knees for support. He stood up, breathing hard and said, "Asl...wants...ll…s...and-".

"Edmund, just to make sure you know, we have no idea what you're saying," laughed Caspian. His laugh made her smile, and seeing this Caspian turned his head to smirk at her.

"Now let's try this again. And take a deep breath this time. What on earth were you trying to say?" Edmund glared at Caspian then laughed.

"Aslan needs us in Peter's study."

"Alight, I'll go and get the others." Stated Caspian as he started to walk off down the hallway, until he stopped, turned around and simply said, "It looks like that tour of ours will have to wait." Natalie nodded and as the boys walked away, she found herself wandering through the winding corridors, admiring the paintings of the great kings and queens on the wall. As she turned the corner, she came face to face with Susan, practically running into her.

"Susan, I'm so sorry, I-". Smiling at her, Susan held up her hand and said.

"It's fine, no need to apologize. Are you coming to the meeting?" Natalie blushed and admitted.

"Actually, I was trying to find it."

"Well for starters, you're headed in the wrong direction." laughed Susan as she smiled at her. It was the first time she had seen Susan genuinely smile since she had gotten here. _'Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought she was.'_

"Come. We should go to the meeting. I'm sure the others are waiting," Susan concluded, as the two of them walked down the hallway to Peter's study. They walked in silence for some time, until they were nearly knocked over by a fast moving bundle.

"Oof! Lucy!" Susan cried, rubbing her stomach. "Where are you going?" she asked, trying to regain her breath.

"Oh, I'm sorry." said Lucy with a sympathetic glance to each of the girls in turn. "I'd left Hannah in the gardens. She really enjoys the faun's company." She finished giggling. Natalie smiled, knowing fully that Hannah was much too friendly not to make friends with anyone that was willing.

"But isn't she supposed to be at the meeting?" Susan asked frowning. Lucy shook her head violently.

"No. In fact, Aslan made it very clear that only the Kings and Queens were allowed to attend, but he excused me from this one so I could show Hannah the gardens." Lucy said, glancing at Natalie apologetically. "Sorry, Natalie." Natalie shook her head. "Really it's alright." She said "Is there anything else I could do to while away time?" She questioned, looking at Susan.

"There is the library." said Susan, while Lucy groaned outwardly.

"Really, Su. You and your books!" She huffed, but Natalie shook her head.

"I think it should be fine. Um, which way?" She asked the queens, smiling. Lucy pointed her in the proper direction, and the three girls parted ways.

* * *

"They're WHAT?" asked the Kings and Queens simultaneously. Aslan gave them a sad look then explained.

"Yes, children. Hannah and Natalie are, indeed, the daughters of the Kings and Queens that ruled before you. I'd taken them back to your world when The White Witch first started her reign. They were merely children."

"Do they remember anything?" asked Susan in a soft voice.

"Natalie does not remember anything of her previous life." Aslan stated

"And Hannah?" questioned a concerned Peter. Aslan sighed.

"Hannah, unfortunately, was there to witness the death of her parents, her true parents. Nonetheless, it just comes to her as two people she does not even recognize." he explained

"What do you mean? Comes to her?" asked Edmund. Aslan gave him a long grave look.

"She has horrific nightmares. For her parents died truly horrific deaths. " Everyone cringed, imagining. However, Aslan did not stop, "There is also something you should know about Lina." he said.

"She's got a blade for a tongue and a mind sharper still." mumbled Edmund bitterly. Aslan chuckled darkly.

"That and she is the daughter of The White Witch." The Monarchs' jaws dropped to the floor.

"D-does she know this?" sputtered Susan.

"Yes. Do not trouble her over it. She is not the creature her mother was, and she has faced many a nightmare because of it. All eight of you are tied together, as fate has pronounced. They are here to discover themselves, and to help you as well. Treat them well, and see to it that they are kept safe." The kings and queens nodded, and Aslan took his leave.

* * *

Natalie walked into the library; it had about a hundred different bookcases that reached from the ceiling to the floor. She ran her fingers along a shelf, until she found a book that captured her interest. The Golden Age: The Kings and Queens of Old, maybe the past will help her discover her why she and her friends were dropped, literally, into this magical world. She took the book and sat on a window seal that overlooked the gardens. She laughed as she saw Hannah playing with the fauns_. 'I think Hannah will like it here; it looks like she has already fit in. I just hope Lina and I will too'_, she thought to herself. She started to read the book, trying to dismiss the thought from her mind.

"It looks like you're a lot like my sister; I always seem to find Susan's nose in a book." Smiled Peter and he sat down on the window seal with Natalie. She smirked and replied, "I'm not going to lie. Your sister did scare me at first, but now that I've gotten to know her, somewhat at least, she's not as bad as she seems." Peter leaned towards her and whispered,

"I've known Susan for 17 years, and she stills scares the wits out of me on a daily basis." The two burst out laughing until it faded into silence. Natalie looked down at the ground not knowing what to say, until Peter simply stated, "So, I'm sure you heard my sister is planning a ball for next month." Natalie looked up at him and curiously said, "No, I haven't. I didn't even know there was a ball."

"You should come."

"Um, I'm not so sure. Dancing really isn't my thing, and I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal if I came. And besides, I wouldn't know anyone."

"Well you would know me, and Caspian can teach you how to dance, and he won't even complain if you step on his feet. I'll even find you an escort." He said with a smirk, and continued to talk while he walked off, "So it's settled, you're going."

"But I-" Natalie tried to protest, but Peter just yelled

"You're going!" As he walked away, Natalie smiled to herself, starting to look forward to this ball. _'Maybe I actually do fit in here.'_

* * *

Lina was busy exploring the castle when she decided to take a step towards the armory. Big mistake. She could hear Edmund was there too, only he wasn't alone. There was a girl with him, she couldn't hear much of their conversation, just high pitched giggling. _'Disgusting, some girls just don't know how to have dignity'_, she thought. Lina wasn't sure why she was there, but for some odd reason, she didn't like it. She turned to step away, when the door burst open, revealing a somewhat happy couple. Standing next to Edmund, was a short girl, with big grey eyes, plump rosy lips, and a perfect set white teeth.

"Edmund!" She giggled, "You never told me you brought new maids to the castle!"

"Um, Demetria, love, she's n-" He attempted to explain but was inevitably cut off by Lina, who said in a deathly steel voice.

"Maid? Why you little-" Raising her voice with each word, Edmund became irate.

"Ahem, Demetria, love. Why don't you excuse me and the, uh, maid." he finished casting Lina a deathly stare.

"WHAT?! I'm not-" Edmund grabbed Lina by the forearm and yanked her with a great force, towards the courtyard.

"Would you just shut up for once? You talk too much, honestly, and I think a frea-" He was stopped as Lina's hand made hard contact with his face causing a sharp pain to cover the whole left side of his face. "You've stepped out of your place!"

"No, consider that a token of my gratitude, dear king." She said pointing her finger his bright red face. Edmunds face contorted in rage and he grabbed her wrist, but before he could cause any harm to the angry girl, Caspian's voice broke his concentration.

"What on EARTH are you doing, Edmund!?" Caspian shouted jogging toward the pair. He pulled Lina away from Edmund, who looked near to blows. "The last time I checked," he said "the Narnian's weren't famous for abusing their guests." As Caspian pulled Lina down the hall, Edmund, furious beyond common sense, retorted haughtily.

"She must be used to it, her dear mother, must have taught her all about cruelty, and abuse." His shouts had echoed down the hallway and through Lina's thoughts. Edmund expected her to hit him again. Lina turned, but instead of anger, her face was a blank, empty canvas. Her thoughts were unreadable as she pulled away from Caspian, and walked slowly towards Edmund.

"She hurt you too then." She said. She looked down, shook her head, and walked away to her room. As she turned the corner out of sight, Edmund was able to see only the hurt and pained look on Lina's face. The other three monarchs quickly approached, having heard the shouting from Peter's study.

"What happened?" asked Lucy, seeing the dark red mark on Edmund's face.

"Mr. I'm-The-King, over here almost beat Lina because of some stupid argument!" Caspian yelled, storming down the hall to find Lina, leaving the four royals very surprised and angry.

"Edmund! How could you?" Lucy shrieked.

"Really Ed? Is it really that hard just to walk away?" questioned Susan. Peter was just standing there, his arms crossed and his eyebrows wrinkled.

"What did you say that made her so upset. She looked rather hurt." He stated, he was the only one that was giving Edmund the benefit of the doubt. Edmund stared at his feet ashamedly.

"She shouldn't have hit me." He mumbled. Peter's eyes widened and he frowned even more.

"Ed, what did you say to her?"

"There might have been something I said about her mum." He mumbled rubbing the back of his head. Susan's eyes widened dramatically, and Peter smacked his forehead. Lucy walked backwards, appalled.

"You should go apologize to her RIGHT NOW!" she said. Edmund shook his head.

"Believe me, that's the first thing I wanted to do." he replied looking in the direction that Lina had stormed away.

"Well," said Peter clapping his hands together, "we'll leave you to it then."

* * *

Edmund slowly made his way to Lina's room, unsure of what to do or say. He kept wringing his hands, taking shallow breaths as he paced outside her door. As he started to knock on the door, he heard a quiet, "Come in", so he opened the door and saw Lina hanging upside down over the edge of her bed. She wasn't looking at Edmund, but at the wall on the other side of her bedroom, a blank expression on her face.

"Look I'm-" Edmund started but soon stopped when Lina sat up on her bed and stared calmly at him.

"Sorry? Yeah I kind of figured that bit out. Don't worry about it. Not like it hasn't happened before." but Ed wouldn't stop.

"It wasn't my plac-"

"Ed."

"And I shouldn't ha-"

"Eddy"

"Bu-"

"Just shut up already, before I give you a matching set." She stated pointing to his still red cheek and giving him a knowing look. _'Just like me'_ she thought to herself _'doesn't know when to shut his mouth.'_ Edmund sighed. "She hurt me too. It's okay." Lina said smiling slightly.

"Friends?" he asked in a small voice.

"Friends." she said, nodding her head and sticking out her tongue.

"Now, I really must get back to Demetria. She'll be wondering why I wandered off with the maid." he said winking.

"Don't push it." laughed Lina gently shoving him out of her room. She closed the door and slumped into her bed for a well-deserved rest.


	4. Lessons and Nightmares

Chapter 3:

Peter roamed the grounds, just thinking. He had been doing an awful lot of that since the girls had gotten there. One month, and they were fitting in quite nicely, though he still couldn't believe that Edmund and Lina hadn't beaten each other senseless with the amount of time they spent together.

_'I'm more surprised that Susan didn't beat me and Hannah senseless.'_ he thought to himself, remembering how quickly the two got along. Pulling pranks on all the royals was their specialty. He remembered Edmund and Lina's fury when the two jokesters had coated their practice daggers in hard toffee, making them unusable for the next two weeks.

_'Lina and Ed. Ha! Those two are inseparable. They're almost always on the training grounds.'_ He grinned, and his mind made a jab at him. _'Not unlike you and Lady Hannah.'_

Peter's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud scream that made him run to the courtyard. He stopped when he saw Lady Demetria sitting on the grass. _'Please don't see me. PLEASE don't see me.' _He tried to turn around and walk away, but-

"Oh! Oh High King Peter!" Peter cringed at the sound of her voice, high pitched and squeaky. Ugh, how can Ed deal with her? Nonetheless he turned back around and put on his best fake smile.

"Hello, Lady Demetria." He tried not to let his irritation show, but to no avail. Thankfully Lady Demetria didn't notice his bitterness and thought nothing of it.

"Peter, I haven't a trace of where Edmund is, and, oh it's just so horrible." she whimpered annoyingly. Peter sighed.

"What has happened milady?" He asked, trying not to roll his eyes.

"I think the new maid, Lina, I believe, has stolen my gold earrings." she whined. "My father wouldn't have stood for such thieves in his manor."

"Well your father isn't here, now is he?" He said irritated. And considering she isn't a maid, stealing your earrings might have been rather difficult." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Now, before you go about making ridiculous accusations about the guests in my castle, I suggest you have some valid proof to present."

"B-b-but m-my king! The proof should stand alone that they aren't fastened on my ears at the present, should it not?" She asked widening her eyes. Peter gave her a stern glance.

"Demetria?" he asked

"Yes, my king." she answered quietly

"Why are you lying to me?"

"What do you mean, my king?"

"I can see them shining in the hole in that tree where you've oh-so-cleverly have placed them." He said pointing. "Now I shall bid you a good day, milady, and I hope you shall enjoy your last night here." With that, he turned away not wanting to see her again.

He went back to the edge of the castle grounds again, trying to forget about Demetria_. 'I don't know what Ed sees in her. She's a complete monster.'_ He shook the thought from his head and continued to walk the grounds when he came across Hannah sitting on the ground by a tree, a Shakespeare book on her lap, laughing to herself.

"What's so funny?" he asked smiling

"The way people used to insult each other, you canker blossom." she replied laughing.

"Oh, so I'm a... Wait wha-?" he said, his eyes widening.

"Actually I'm not quite sure what it means really. But if I was called one I would probably just laugh, not be insulted." She said smiling. Peter sat down next to her and snatched the book away, grinning. He began to read in a deep voice,

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Hannah snatched the book back and laughed

"No you shall not! And I'll have you know that I prefer spring over any season running." She exclaimed with a feigned angry face. Peter laughed at her.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, and winked at her. Hannah blushed and hit his arm with her book.

"Did you just hit a king?" He asked playfully glaring at her.

"No, I just hit a fool wearing a crown." she retorted, once again hitting him with her book. "And on that note, I should go find the other fools," She said as she stood up, brushed off the grass on her skirt, she tried to take a step, and if it weren't for Peter's arm that shot out to support her waist, she would have fallen on her face. She righted herself, and when she looked up, she found herself staring into his sparkling blue eyes. His face had lost all humor, and he stared intently into her eyes.

"I won't let you fall." he said. Seeing that Hannah was blushing violently he made a subtle save. "I'm not as clumsy as Cas." She laughed and stood up and blushed more as she realized Peter had not let go.

"P-Peter I'm fine now, you can let go." He let go of her quickly, and it was his turn to blush, she gathered her s

* * *

"PLEASE, do I have to go?" Lina begged as both Natalie and Hannah dragged her to the ballroom for the dance lesson Susan had set up for them before the ball.

"Delina! For the eight-billionth time, YES! You have to go. You're just lucky we didn't force you into a dress, for now!" Shouted Natalie

"For NOW?!" she cried.

"Fine then!" said Natalie, "Go to the ball naked, and see if we don't have a laugh!"

"EWWW! No. We're not subjecting the Narnian's to that!" Hannah laughed out as she and Natalie grabbed Lina's upper arms and dragged her around a corner when-

SMACK!

The girls had run straight into the boys, who were trying to drag Edmund to the same room. Caspian burst out laughing and simply stated,

"Looks like we're running into the same problem."

"Well I've just run into a big problem who is still sitting on my middle." Lina groaned, pushing Peter off of her.

"And um, Hannah, I can't b-breath." Caspian gasped. Hannah blushed and quickly got off and helped him up, and Natalie laughed at them, saying, "Wow Caspian, first you drop the poor girl, and now, Hannah, you sit on him. I suppose you two are even now."

"Now won't you be a dear and get off my middle?" said Edmund with a grunt.

"Oh, Sorry!" She got off him, and helped him get on his feet. Edmund mumbled,

"Let just get this dancing class over with, I'm already having way too much fun." Everyone laughed loudly.

* * *

"And take your partners hand! SQUAWK! No not like that! You're doing it all wrong! Step left, turn RIGHT!" With that last word from the birdlike dance teacher, a loud cry was heard throughout the room.

"OW! Peter! You stepped on my foot!" Hannah yelled.

"That was pay back for the other ten times you stepped on my foot." Peter joked laughing as Hannah blushed. Another strained cry was heard from the opposite side of the room.

"I GIVE UP! I WILL GO TO THIS GODFORSAKEN BALL AS A CRIPPLE, BUT I WILL NOT DANCE FOR A SECOND!" Lina's cries echoed throughout the dance-hall, as she stormed away. Edmund gave the group an apologetic look, and dashed after the girl. Their heated argument was heard fading away.

"Well that went better then I thought it would, she stayed for a whole five minutes!" Exclaimed Natalie with a smile. Laughing, Caspian twirled her and said, "Honestly I thought Ed was going to bail after the first time that bird thing squawked at us." He smirked at her, and Natalie just laughed. A short ways away Edmund was still chasing after Lina.

"Linaaaaa." He said, trying to keep the pace.

"No Edmund, just NO!" She retorted furiously.

"Linaa."

"NO!"

"Lina, we're too far away. I doubt anyone is going to follow us. Your plan worked!" Lina turned slowly, and stared at Edmund, who simply grinned cockily. Slowly but surely, her face broke out into a wide grin and shouted, while spinning around, her face cast to the sky.

"YES YES YESSS! I don't think I could take any more of that torture." Edmund smiled and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by an annoyingly high pitched voice from behind him.

"Eddy! Daaarrrling!" Lina cringed at the sound of her voice, but tried to plaster the best smile she could on her face. Edmund turned around and said with a hint of sarcasm,

"Demetria? I thought you'd left for Calomeren two weeks ago!" He didn't hide the disappointment in his voice, but either way, she didn't notice.

"Well I decided to come back, just for the ball. I knew you'd miss me so much, but now I need you to help me pick out my dress. I can't decide what color goes best with my shoes." Edmund glanced at Lina nervously.

"Well, um, dear, since I thought you'd be back in Calomeren with your father, I was going to escort Lady Delina, for friendship's sake." Demetria snorted and turned to Lina.

"Interesting friendship you and my courtier have developed. Why don't we find someone for yourself? I'm sure we can find someone with relatively low standards along with standing." Lina's mouth opened wide at the venom spewing from Demetria's mouth.

"Well I-" Lina started heatedly. Edmund cut her off.

"Let's go, love. We won't be able to find a decent outfit for myself if we dawdle here for the rest of the afternoon." He walked off, pulling Demetria by the hand.

_'Edmund? And Outfits?_' Lina thought to herself incredulously. At that moment Natalie and Hannah came running after her, panting as they finally caught up to the indignant girl.

"There you are! Come on Lina, it won't be that bad this time. Come back to the ballroom with us please?" Hannah begged giving her the puppy dog eyes that usually always worked. Natalie gave Lina a scrutinizing look.

_'Why is she looking so hurt and dazed? I'll have to ask her about that later.'_ Natalie pushed the thought aside as Lina laughed.

"Fine, but get rid of that bird lady." She said, and as the other girls laughed, she thought to herself, she was getting on my nerves more than Demetria was.

* * *

Hannah lay in her room that night, crying. _'It was just a nightmare, just a nightmare. It wasn't real- it wasn't real' _that was what she had been repeating to herself for over half an hour. She had been having the same reoccurring dream ever since she could remember. Some nights it was so bad she was afraid to go back to sleep.

Tossing to her other side Hannah finally gave up on the prospect of going back to sleep and crawled out of her bed. Wrapping her robe around her she slowly exited her room. Maybe a walk will clear my head. Somehow she wandered her way into the gardens and saw Natalie doing her favorite thing- stargazing.

Leaning on the fountain next to her Hannah made Natalie jump when she said, "You always were the night owl of the group weren't you?"

"Hannah! Warn me at the least!" Natalie retorted putting her hand over her now racing heart.

"But that ruins all the fun!" said Hannah shooting her friend a cheeky grin. Rolling her eyes, Natalie laughed at her and said, "Yeah for you it does, I'm sure it would be funnier if you scared me to death!" Hannah grinned at her friend's statement and lay down in the grass next to her. Her smile quickly faded. Natalie turned her head to look at her, and she could see the tears forming in Hannah's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Questioned Natalie sitting, Hannah remained silent, staring up at the stars, not meeting Natalie's eyes. After minutes of silence, Hannah finally spoke.

"Every night I have the same dream, about these two people being killed, murdered, right in front of me. I have no idea who they are, I can never remember their faces, but it always feels so real. Almost like a memory." She trailed off feeling the tears coming on. Natalie spoke trying to give her friend support, "It's just a dream, isn't it?" she asked sitting up. Hannah shook her head.

"I know them from somewhere. I swear I do." Hannah said her voice breaking. Natalie looked at her sympathetically, and then opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a voice behind her.

"It would be a pity if you didn't recognize your parents, child, but I do not blame you. You were so young." The girls jumped as The Great Lion suddenly appeared behind them.

"P-parents? No, I don't have parents I've been in foster care since..." Hannah stuttered hoping that it wasn't true. That those people that suffered so much at one time weren't actually her parents.

"Since you were a baby? Yes child, but these were your real parents and Natalie's." Natalie shook her head in disbelief and asked, "I'm sorry, but perhaps I heard you wrong. Did you just say my parents?"

"I can't deal with this now. I need to sleep." Hannah said stuttering, making any excuse to not know the true meaning of her dream, so she stood up and ran back to the castle. Natalie watched sadly as the image of her new found sister faded away then turned back to Aslan, asking, "What you said...is it true?"

"Yes my child, unfortunately it is. Both of your parents were murdered by the White Witch's followers. They were accused of treason against Jadis and everything she stood for. So they were forced to go into hiding bringing their two daughters with them, knowing that they would be targeted by Jadis. Your parents moved to a cave in the mountains, where they thought they would be safe, but it turned out they weren't, even though your parents had established strict rules about never leaving the cave due to your safety."

"Then how were my parents discovered?" Natalie asked softly.

"Jadis had a daughter. She went out in the snow one day, with Jadis' most trusted wolf, Morgrum. She saw a light at the top of the cave where your parents were at the time. Being the most curious thing she was, the girl took her escort up to the cave. Your parents were killed on sight." Natalie looked at him with hatred forming in her eyes, she spoke trying to conceal her bitterness, "Where is she now?" She asked, gritting her teeth. Aslan hesitated on what to say, but then simply said, "She is... alive." Natalie's anger grew

"Well then, who is she?" She asked. _'It wouldn't surprise me if it was Demetria'_, she thought to herself. She looked back at Aslan, waiting for him to respond. He turned and looked her straight in the eye and bluntly stated, "Lina." Natalie's eyes transitioned from rage, to sadness, to nothing. Her face became completely blank, and Aslan read all of her emotions. Hurt, deceit, betrayal. She stood up, curtsied, and walked off. She stopped in the middle of her tracks and whispered, "Don't tell the others. They've already been through enough. They don't need this too." Aslan watched her as she walked back into the castle, watching as a single tear fell and hit the ground.


	5. Break Downs and Ball Gowns

Chapter 4:

Hannah was sprinting down the hall of the castle just trying to get away from everything. Tears were streaming down her face as she suddenly slammed into something that sent her crashing to the ground.

"Hannah, can you please make up your mind who you want to fall on? It's me or Caspian." Edmund started laughing but immediately stopped when he noticed Hannah's red and puffy eyes. "Hey, hey. What's wrong?" She tried to push past him not wanting to talk but he turned her around, forcing her to look him in the eyes, "You can talk to me Hannah. I want to help."

"Have you ever felt like one of your nightmares just came to life? Or you're living one?"

"Well, for me at least, Narnia only brings me nightmares during war." He replied confused.

"When I was in England, I would have this recurring dream once or twice a month. I saw these two people being k-k-killed. I never knew who they were. The faces were always too blurry. But since being here I've been having them every night. Tonight I had another one and couldn't go back to sleep so I went outside and Natalie was there and then Aslan showed up-" She had started crying harder and harder with each word, Edmund acted on impulse and wrapped his arms around Hannah's shaking body pulling her into a tight hug and let her cry on his chest. "They were my parents, Ed. They were Natalie's parents too. I should be glad to have a sister, but I'm just so lost." She cried.

Edmund was worried. The only side of Hannah he'd ever seen was the fun, joking side. Never bitter, hardly ever angry, and certainly not ever sad. Not knowing what else to say or do, he just let her cry all her tears out. Sob by sob, tremble by tremble, he sat there with her. A few moments later he pulled away from her, to see that she'd had fallen asleep. Knowing he couldn't just leave her lying there, he scooped her up into his arms, and made his way towards her room.

When he finally reached the steady oak doors, he pushed them open and gently placed Hannah on her bed. Edmund turned to leave, but when he saw that Hannah silently crying in her sleep, he felt the overwhelming urge to stay there. _'I'll just stay for a few minutes, make sure she's okay, and then go.'_ But then he heard Hannah mumble softly, "Ed, mmph, stay here." She reached out her hand, and took his. Edmund's eyes widened. Looking down at his friend Edmund realized just how broken and helpless she looked. He relaxed in the bed beside her, listening to see if she spoke again, knowing that he needed to help her as much as he could. And seeing Hannah breathing deeply, he felt relax. _'She's finally at peace'_, he thought to himself as he slowly started to drift into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning Hannah awoke to a very loud snoring coming from her left. Only when she turned on her side did she realize that it was Edmund. Memories of the prior night flooded back to her, and she shot up out of bed, waking Edmund.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?" he demanded jumping out

"Your bed? Edmund, this is my room!" she yelled.

Edmund slowly turned his head taking in his surroundings. He then smacked his forehead.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so so sorry!" He said.

"What's done is done. Thanks though, for helping me, last night, I mean." She said looking at her feet.

"I'm here for you, okay?" he asked seriously.

"Can you answer something for me?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Depends on the question." He stated monotonously.

"Why are you with Demetria? She's so annoying, and bossy, and rude, and conceited an-"

"And stupid, and pushy, and degrading, and useless!" He finished.

"Well, yeah!" Hannah said exasperated.

"To be honest I don't know. At first it seemed proper, like a real relationship. And it helped us keep on good terms with Calomeren, but now? I don't know. She's just too irritating!"

"Then why are you still with her? If you don't love her what's the point?"

"You've met the wretch! She's a completely vile wretch when things don't go her way." He said. He looked down at the ground as if he was hiding something. But before Hannah could say anything else, Edmund stated,

"I should probably go," and quickly he walked out of the room. Leaving Hannah confused about everything that had just happened. What was he hiding? Hannah thought to herself, but the thought left her mind when the door flung open as Natalie and Lina barged into her room.

"You slept with him, and you're dead. Demetria and I will make sure of it." Lina said seriously.

"Lina, I'm still a virgin. Swear." Hannah replied, holding up her right hand to add emphasis.

"Then what in Aslan's name was he doing in your room?" asked Natalie.

Last night," Hannah said looking at Natalie silently asking permission to tell the story. When Natalie mouthed no, she quickly made up an excuse, "I had a really bad nightmare and took a walk. I started crying. Edmund was there to calm me down. He brought me back to my room and must have fallen asleep. The end." Accepting this answer Lina slowly nodded, exiting the room. When she was gone, Hannah turned to Natalie.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted last night. I really am. I just didn't know how to handle it. But I do now and I'm glad that Aslan told us. Did he say anything else when I left?"

_'How am I going to tell her?'_ Natalie thought. I couldn't live with the fact that she was sad because of something I told her. Deciding that some things were better left unsaid Natalie smiled and shook her head, hugging her new-found sister and they walked out with their arms linked.

* * *

Later that day Lina found Susan, sitting by a large tree in the gardens. She walked up, offering a cheery hello.

"How's that coming along?" She asked, pointing to a wooden flute in Susan's hands.

"Not particularly well I much prefer my books to this but Lucy insists that it's relaxing." Susan said laughing. "I, for the life of me, can't get a single note out of it." Lina held her hand out.

"May I?" She asked. Susan nodded and handed it over. Lina looked it over and placed her lips on it. She blew through. An airy whistle emitted from it. Susan's face lit up. Lina moved the flute away from her face, frowned, and then tried again. A rich, low, sound emitted from the flute and both girls grinned.

"You did it!" said Susan, a childish smile playing on her lips. Lina grinned and began to play a cheery tune, only messing up occasionally. Susan's smile grew wider as the gardeners looked up from their work grinning.

"Don't stand about working! Come dance with me!" called Susan to the dozen Fauns, who promptly galloped over to the two young ladies. Lina smiled, as she passed the flute along to another faun, and the tune continued. Farther away Lucy, Hannah, and Natalie were walking along the grounds, picking flowers. Hearing the lively music and laughing, they skipped up to the group. Immediately they began dancing with the fauns. Twirling and Whirling, the girls didn't stop for a decent hour, but finally, when they grew tired. They sat underneath the tree, as the fauns went back to their work.

"That was some of the best fun I've had in ages." Laughed Susan. Lucy grinned.

"Like you've ever grasped the concept of fun! You and your books are always getting in the way of fun." She taunted, clearly dizzy with excitement. Susan slapped her arm with a fake indignant face. The other three girls laughed. Lina stood up and pretended to be reading a book.

"Susan! Lord Gedemiah is looking for you!" called Hannah, laughing.

"Oh hush, I'm reading!" snapped Lina. The girls giggled, and even Susan emitted a chuckle.

"Susan! Oh Susan! Someone has stolen your favorite shoes!" cried Natalie.

"Can't you see I'm learning about Duke Bland of Drag?" Asked Lina, frowning. The other girls rolled over laughing.

"One more chapter!" With that, the girls erupted into fits of shrieking laughter. After several minutes the girls finally calmed down, with a giggle audible here or there.

"You should come with us to town! We're leaving in about a half-hours time." proposed Lucy. Susan readily agreed.

"Yes, you really must come with us! There's so much to buy for the ball! It'll be fun!" she said. Lina jumped up and took three steps back.

"Shopping? Me? No thank you!" She said laughing. "Anyways, Eddy and I have another training session. You four go along." Hannah gave her friend an irritated look.

"Lina. You're coming." she said raising her eyebrows, and daring her friend to argue. Lina cast her friend a pleading glance.

"You can't make me." she whined. Natalie shot her a look that said Wanna Bet? Lina gazed silently, casting the two girls the biggest, roundest eyes she could possibly manage, when the clinking of chainmail and steel armor interrupted their staring contest. Edmund approached the group.

"Beware Ed, you're walking on dangerous grounds." warned Lucy smirking at the sweaty king. He held up his hands in surrender.

"I only bring a message." He said smirking, catching the meaning behind Lucy's eyes. Lina raised her eyebrows.

"Well spilt it out." She said crossing her arms. Edmund chuckled.

"I will not be able to attend our daily sparring practice, as Peter has requested that he and I catch up on some long overdue paperwork." Lina's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"You're joking right?" She asked forming her lips into a tight thin line. Edmund laughed.

"I may be laughing, but I most certainly am not joking, milady." He said, while Hannah grinned triumphantly.

"That settles it. Lina, you're coming with us!" Everyone smiled as Lina groaned outwardly.

"You heard us!" Lina cried, pointing an accusing finger at Edmund. He grinned evilly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. A little birdie relayed the conversation." he replied cheekily.

"And what kind of birdie would this be?" Lina asked rolling her eyes.

"Oh you know, sarcastic, guarded, overbearing, over-protective, but a bit crazy," He began casually walking towards Lina, as she gave him death stare. He continued, growing more serious. "Loving, all in all... perfect." he finished staring deeply into Lina's eyes.

"I don't think we're talking about a bird anymore." whispered Lucy quietly. Lina's blushed so violently, it showed through her deep tan skin.

"I suppose I'll go get ready then." said Lina, refusing to make eye-contact with anyone as she walked speedily away. As she did so, Edmund was pulled out of his daze.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" He asked.

"And we're never going to let it go." Laughed Hannah, but Susan and Lucy looked concerned.

"Edmund, what about Demetria." instantly, all the girls' faces dropped.

"Ed, she always ruins everything!" whined Lucy. Edmund nodded, grimacing as if in pain.

"I know." he simply said. "But if I end my courtship, who knows where the relationship of Calormeren and Narnia will stand."

"So you do like Lina?" asked Hannah grinning. Edmund began to blush.

"No, no. I was simply imply-" Edmund started, but was promptly cut off by Susan.

"Oh 'implying' my foot! You obviously like the girl!" she said. Edmund blushed even more.

"Okay so I might find her likable... and attractive in some ways... But that's not that point! If being with Demetria means no more war- ever then I'll do what it takes to do that." Edmund said admittedly. Susan scoffed.

"Whatever you say, my dear dear brother. But if she finds someone else, just know that it was only because you were too scared to have her." Susan said, her voice tapering off into tenderness. Edmund's eyes widened.

"You mean, you think she'd actually allow me to court her?" he asked incredulously. Natalie laughed.

"Believe it or not, Ed. I think you may have a chance with our cold hearted Lina." She said grinning. Edmund looked perfectly gleeful for a moment, but then his face dropped instantly. _'Country before heart'_ he thought to himself. He dismissed the idea,

"No, there's no chance. I can't risk something as big as my country's safety." He said shaking his head and turning away, walking back to the castle.

"Well, that went well." Hannah said causing everyone to turn and give her a look that said you're Obviously Mad. It only took two minutes before they all burst into a fit of laughter seeing her face was fixed into a silly smug smile.

* * *

"Lina, what do you think about this one?" Natalie asked her friend looking at the fifteenth dress she had on in the mirror; it was a gorgeous deep blue gown, with silver diamond embellishments. The deep blue color matched the color of her blue eyes perfectly, and contrasted greatly with her pale skin and long wavy black hair that cascaded down to her lower back making her very being glow. The dress had a sweet heart neckline, and clung to her figure at the top and flared out at the bottom. Lina rolled her eyes and said a bit irritated, "As I have told you on about every dress you have tried on, you look gorgeous." Natalie turned to look in the mirror, questioning herself. Hannah yelled, "Can you please just pick one already? We have been waiting on you to pick for over an hour." Natalie ignored her, as she tilted her head, debating on what to pick.

"I need another opinion," she simply said as she walked out of the room. She could hear Lina and Hannah groan as she walked off. Natalie walked down the hallway, hoping to run into someone. She turned her head and looked out the window, where she saw Caspian sitting beneath a tree in the gardens. A huge grin appeared on her face when she saw him. She was about to about to go talk to him, but she froze in her tracks. _'What am I going to say?' _She thought. Natalie thought vanished when she heard footsteps coming towards her. A faun turned the corner, and when he saw her said, "Good morning Lady Natalie. Getting ready for the ball I see?" She looked down at her dress, completely forgetting she was wearing it. She looked back at him and said, "Oh yes, but actually would you mind helping me with something?" He smiled and replied, "Of course my Lady. How can I be of your assistance?"

"Could you ask King Caspian to meet me in the ballroom? And tell him it's urgent, please."

"I will tell him at once," He said as he bowed and walked off. Natalie suddenly began to pace all over the ballroom.

_'What if he doesn't like it? What if he refuses to be my escort after this? What if...?' _She stopped. _'What if he actually likes it?'_ She shook her head. _'No, this isn't the right dress! Why did I call him now? I should have found the right dress and no-'_ her thoughts were interrupted when the ballroom doors swung open with a BANG! Caspian came running inside towards Natalie.

"What happened?! What's wro-" Caspian suddenly stopped and stared as his eyes rested on Natalie. _'Beautiful.'_ He thought stepping forward. Natalie blushed, seeing his intent stare.

"What do you think?" She asked. Caspian simply kept staring.

"Does it really matter? You look stunning." He said breathlessly. Natalie cheeks turned bright red, as she stared at him as well. He had been on the training grounds. She could tell. His hair was plastered to his forehead, and his chest was rising up and down at a rapid, almost alarming rate. But he still looked amazingly handsome. Unconsciously the pair started to walk closer and closer to each other, and suddenly they were face to face staring intently into the other's eyes.

A faun in the corner slowly started to play a Narnian Waltz and Caspian held out his hand to Natalie saying, "May I have this dance milady?" Natalie blushed and placed her hand in his.

"Of course, Your Highness." she smiled curtsying. He pulled her in close; their faces only a few inches away. They stared into each other's eyes until Caspian spoke, "So, I'm guessing you have heard about Susan's ball tonight?" Natalie laughed and said,

"That might be the reason why I'm wearing this dress and asked for your opinion." His eyes lit up, as he twirled her, spinning her in to his chest. She saw him looking at her, and she looked back up at him. As he looked into her eyes, he thought _'She's so beautiful.'_ They started to lean in towards each other. His lips were about to meet hers, but she pulled away when the door swung open behind them.


	6. Revelations and Confrontations

Chapter 5:

"Where is she? She's been looking for 'other opinions' for two hours!" Hannah said getting more and more impatient with each passing minute.

"Let's go look for her." Hannah and Lina exited the room and rounded the corner looking for their dear friend. Upon hearing a faun talking about how Natalie urgently needed to see Caspian in the ballroom, Lina and Hannah looked at each other worried. What had happened? Was Natalie okay? The two girls found themselves sprinting towards the ballroom to make sure their friend was alright.

As they burst into the room, they were became aware of the soft music that was being played by a faun, and they looked at the center of the room and saw Natalie and Caspian dancing and both of them leaning toward each other about to kiss. Hannah and Lina looked at each other.

"Finally! It took you two long enough." Lina said just loud enough to make the dancing pair jump and break apart, embarrassed.

"Oh, don't mind us. We're just enjoying the show." said Hannah casting the pair one of her special, cheeky grins. Natalie blushed and turned away from Caspian, grabbing both her friends' wrists as she walked out of the room.

"Come on we still have to find your dresses." Natalie mumbled dragging the two now hysterical girls down the hall.

"CASSIE I LOVE YOU!" Sang Lina

"CASSIE I DO!" Chorused Hannah

"WHEN WE'RE APART MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR YOU!" The girls finished as they walked back into Natalie's room. **(A/N Yes it was necessary to reference Harry Potter- if you haven't noticed it happens quite a lot, deal with it.)**

"I'm never going to let him live this down." laughed Lina.

"Come on! Hannah just go pick out a dress already!" Natalie said shoving Hannah into the make-shift dressing room. She turned to look at Lina who was still laughing hysterically, Natalie scoffed and said, "Oh laugh all you want, but you know when you and your lover boy get together, I'm sure you will just love it when I never let you, or him for that matter, live it down."

"There's no one here who's caught my eye. Plus I'm sure you will embarrass yourself more than me, anyways." Lina said making Natalie's jaw drop in surprise, the two continued to argue with each other until the dressing room doors opened.

"Guys I don't know. What do you think?" Hannah asked stepping out in a dark purple ball gown that had star-like sparkles around the waist. The color contrasted greatly with her pale skin, making her all but glow and her blue eyes pop, and her strait brown hair shimmered as it fell down her back. "Well?" She asked nervously.

"It is perfect." said a voice from the door, making Hannah blushed furiously. Lina whipped around.

"Peter! She could have been naked for all you knew!" she said crossly. Peter walked up to Lina and ruffled her hair, watching with glee as her eyes grew wide and angry.

"Well awen't I a wucky widlle fewwow considewing widdle Hannah was weawing hew cwothes?" he asked smiling evilly.

"Okay am I the only one that noticed the baby talk?" Hannah asked.

"I don't think babies say 'considewing'." said Natalie laughing.

"Let me rephrase. Am I the only one that noticed the King Idiot talk?" Hannah replied also laughing. Peter joined in the laughter.

"Well, Lina should meet me on the training grounds in half an hour, for her sparring practice. Caspian said he'd be unable to attend." Hannah and Lina exchanged knowing grins, as Natalie suddenly began to busy herself with counting the dresses in the wardrobe.

"Did he seem a bit flustered?" asked Lina, grinning evilly at Natalie.

"Yes, quite a bit actually." answered Peter seriously. Seeing the smiles, his face dropped. Suddenly both Hannah and Lina burst into fits of laughter. "You all know something that I don't know and probably that I don't want to know." he said.

"Is that a question?" asked Hannah laughing.

"It was more or less a statement. I'll leave you to your spastic fits." He replied, grinning. "Lina, half an hour." Peter stated nodding to the giggling girl. With that, he turned to leave, but before he did turned and gave Hannah a longing look.

"I think I'm going to take a test run in these shoes. With my luck I'll fall flat on my face- again," Hannah said, completely oblivious to Peters look. She bent down, slipping on a pair of heels, walked around the room, and out to the hallway.

* * *

Hannah's heels clicked against the floor softly as she walked down the hallway, tripping every so often. _'How does Nat wear these all the time? They're like medieval death traps!'_ Hannah thought, once again tripping. Catching herself she lifted her feet and took off her heels. _'Forget this. I'm just going barefoot tonight!'_

Slowly she made her way to her favorite spot on all the palace grounds- the gardens. Soon the overwhelming perfume of roses, orchids, and her personal favorite- tulips hit her and she inhaled the smell calming her down. As she walked the cool grass swept between her toes she seemed to be at ease with the entire world until, "You little bitch!" Came an annoying nasally voice that anyone who had spent one day in Cair Paravel would recognize.

"Why hello to you too, Demetria." Hannah said harshly.

Demetria ran up to Hannah trying to seem intimidating but failing miserably, seeing as she was four inches shorter then Hannah was. "Don't play innocent! You better stay away from him you little harlot! Or things could get quite messy between Calormeren and Narnia."

"Stay away from whom exactly?" Hannah said trying not to laugh as Demetria's face became red and she attempted to give her a death glare.

"MY. COURTIER." She shrieked causing the birds in the surrounding trees to fly away in mass panic.

"Your what? Oh you mean Edmund?" Hannah asked. "Oh in the name of Aslan- you think? No, EW! I would never!" Demetria scoffed.

"Yes, well. It is usually that other ugly wretch, Delina." Hannah's blood began to boil.

"Don't you dare talk about Lina like that?" Hannah shouted indignantly. Demetria grinned.

"How can you defend the horrible, ugly, bitch that killed your parents?" she asked in an evil voice, that was covered in syrupy sarcasm. Hannah stopped cold. Trying not to make her voice crack she replied,

"You don't have to worry about me. But it's not my problem if your 'courtier' is having second thoughts about marrying a conceited, good for nothing tramp like you." Demetria gasped, not expecting such ferocity from the girl. She stomped away leaving Hannah standing there both confused and visibly upset. As soon as Demetria was out of sight, Hannah sat down on the nearest bench and buried her head in her hands._ 'Is that what Natalie didn't want to tell me? Could she have really kept something this big from me?' _She took a deep, shaky breath and slowly stood up and turned towards the castle. She walked towards it, carefully taking each step; _'there's someone I need talk to.'_

* * *

Hannah stormed into Natalie's room, and saw Natalie and Lina lying on the bed talking. The two girls turned to look at her when she walked in; Natalie smiled at her and said,

"Hey Hannah, come to join the party?" Hannah just stared at her expressionless and muttered with a hint of bitterness,

"We need to talk." Sensing the tension in her voice Natalie and Lina sat up.

"What's up?" Lina said.

"Oh don't 'What's up' me! Is it true?" Hannah said stressing the last three words. Natalie raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is what true?" Hannah glared and her and spat, "Oh, like you don't know!" Seeing Hannah's serious face Natalie sighed and whispered, "You found out didn't you?"

"No, really?" Responded Hannah, placing her hands on her hips, and giving her a look that could make even the bravest of warriors run for the hills. Natalie stared at the ground for a moment, ashamed, and then finally looked up with a sympathetic look. She whispered,

"You have already been through enough. I didn't want to cause you anymore pain." Seeming to calm down a bit Hannah sat next to Natalie and whispered,

"I would have rather known right away, it would have hurt less." Natalie could see the pain in her eyes that she was trying to hide from her. She whispered,

"I know I should have told you, and I'm sorry. But I thought it wa-."

"Doesn't make much difference now does it?" Hannah said starting to raise her voice, "I had to find out from DEMETRIA! DEMETRIA! The girl who everyone has despised since the moment that we all got here!"

"Okay, not that I don't love seeing Hannah show some backbone but would someone care to explain just WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" The two girls turned around and saw Lina. They had completely forgotten she was there. Hannah and Natalie both looked at each other, Natalie's eyes begging Hannah not to say anything, but they both knew that they had to tell Lina about this.

"Will someone please just tell me what the hell you two are on about?" Lina yelled again in confusion. Natalie sighed,

"It's nothing," she stated. Lina scoffed.

"Right. I'm sure it's 'nothing'," she started, "Hannah is about to rip your head off of you and looks like she is about to cry, so I'm pretty sure that it's not nothing. Now one of you speak up and tell me WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ABOUT!?" Both girls knew there was no way of getting out of this, so Hannah sighed and open her mouth to tell her the truth, but Natalie cut her off shaking her head,

"It was wrong for me not to tell you, but if someone has to tell Lina, it might as well be me. I've already caused you pain so I might as well spread the happiness." She said fading off.

"Wait." said Lina looking questioningly at both of them, "I think I know what you're going to tell me, but before I assume, just come out with it already." Natalie raised an eyebrow at her and then said, "Alright," she took a deep sigh before she continued, "The other night Hannah came out the court yard after she had and bad dream. When we were talking about it, Aslan came and interrupted. He told us about who we really are. We are both sister's and we were born here in Narnia. Our parents were forced to go into hiding in order to protect us. So we went and hid-"

"In a cave, in the mountains." Lina stated. Natalie and Hannah both glanced at each other and looked back at Lina. Natalie continued, "Yes, that's right...Anyways, we were forced to go into hiding because the 'queen' Jadis was after our parents because they had gone against her. However she had a daughter, you, and one day you went out in the snow, and-"

"Morgrum, the queen's captain of the guard, went with me." Lina simply stated. Natalie questioningly continued again,

"Yes, and so the daughter discovered the cave our family was hiding in and the two of them were ki-" Lina interrupted again saying,

"You don't need to go on. I already know the rest." She walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving Hannah and Natalie speechless.

* * *

**(A/N Ohhhhhh, cliff hanger! SORRY IT WAS SO SHORT! But I've got two things to say 1: THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVIEWING! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE KEEP READING AND REVIEWING! And 2: Whoever is the first to tell me which Harry Potter movie the quote in this chapter was from gets a shot out in the next chapter!)**


	7. Dresses and Unpleasant Encounters

CHAPTER 6:

Lina sat, staring out her bedroom window, with a blank- borderline depressed expression on her face. She didn't want to admit it, because it hurt more than anything to think it, but she never thought her friends would ever find out about her past, and she certainly didn't think they would abandon her when they did. Lina honestly didn't know that Hannah and Natalie were the children of the people she had gotten killed all those years ago, not until Natalie had mentioned that she was adopted and Hannah told her that she had been in foster care since she was little. A single tear glided its way down Lina's tan skin. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught view of two very concerned looking girls with some very apologetic faces. Natalie was the first to approach her,

"Lina, you didn't give me a chance to say anything else back there. You just walked off and I-."

"I knew what you were going to say, 'stay away from us you parent killing monster!'" Lina said, sarcastically. This time it was Hannah's turn to intervene.

"I may have been upset but, you're still my best friend. Truth be told, I was more upset with the fact that I wasn't in the loop, more than anything. You've been too good of a friend for us to lose you now."

"No I really haven't."

"Lina are you blind?" Hannah said incredulously. "Who was it that helped me wash caramel out of my hair for seven hours after Fred pulled that prank on me?"

"Me." Lina said looking down.

"And who gave that George boy a decent pop to the jaw when he started calling me all those horrid names?" Natalie asked confidently.

"That was me too." Lina said starting to look up a bit.

"And who is it that always, no matter what, defends us to the end of the world?" Hannah asked, almost rhetorically.

"You guys don't care?" Lina finally asked looking directly into the others eyes.

"If we cared, would we be here?" Natalie pointed out.

"You guys are the best friends ever." Lina said, tearing up.

"Aw, group hug!" Hannah said laughing with the others as they huddled together in a bone crushing hug.

"Okay! Okay lots of love! I get it! Now can I please breath?!" Natalie and Hannah just laughed and let go of the half-suffocated girl.

"Alright," Natalie said backing away from the girls and looking a clock on a nearby wall, "it is currently four o'clock and we have only three hours to make ourselves gorgeous!" Lina gave her the 'you have got to be kidding me' look. "What? Beauty takes time!" Natalie explained exasperated.

"Along with a pinch of insanity and aching feet, yeah." mumbled Hannah sarcastically.

"We'll need to call the fauns to get our dresses." said Natalie. Her eyes widened suddenly. "LINA! We didn't get your dress today!" Lina looked scared for a moment, and then laughed.

"Oh, well since Demetria showed up at the last minute, I didn't think I was going." The other two girls eyes widened in hatred.

"That tramp just HAS to ruin EVERYTHING!" Hannah huffed unhappily. Natalie was about to say something, when Susan and Lucy opened the doors. The girls both had angry expressions on their faces and their hands were balled into fists.

"Let me guess. Demetria?" Lucy asked through gritted teeth.

"How'd you guess?" Hannah asked, sarcastic venom covering every word.

"Oh the love of Aslan! This girl is eight million times worse than Pansy Parkinson! And, trust me, I wanted to pound her ugly pug face in on a daily basis at school!" Natalie spat.

"We can find you another escort." supplied Susan sympathetically.

"It's fine, really. I'm not that into the whole 'romantic blind date' thing. Thanks but no thanks." Lina said, desperately hoping that the subject would be dropped.

"I'm not hearing another word of this!" said Susan, crossing her arms.

"And neither are we!" Natalie and Hannah said at the same time.

"And you didn't find out you were twins how?" Lina murmured exasperated.

"You're going to this ball!" said Susan. "My courtier, Lord Gedemiah, has a younger brother, about your age, Lord Herend! He'll be your escort! And that is the final word I have on the subject!"

"I wouldn't go against her Lina. She is the Queen after all." Hannah pointed out smirking.

"You just love to be right don't you?" Lina asked giving up.

"Yes, yes we do." Everyone said at the same time causing a fit of laughter among the group.

"Plus," then Lucy added, "You wouldn't let anyone see your dress! We want to see you in it!"

"You didn't show it to anybody?" asked Hannah, curiously.

"Not a soul. Except..." Replied Lina, grinning. The other girl's eyes widened.

"WHO?!" they all asked. Lina laughed

"Edmund! Who do you think? Casp was frolicking with Natalie in the gardens, and good 'ol Pete was with Hannah in the Library." She smiled evilly watching Natalie blush. She smiled even wider when the two queens shared in her malicious grinning

"You didn't even show it to us?" Asked Natalie jutting out her bottom lip, fake pouting, and trying to change the subject.

"Definitely not you two!" Lina said, laughing.

"So can we see it now?" asked Lucy.

"Sorry your highness" Lina replied. "But this is the first time in my existence that I've ever worn a dress. I'm not wearing it for longer than necessary."

"Aw come on! We've literally been waiting for this for years Lina!" Hannah whined.

"Well you've waited this long," Started Lina "You can wait for at least three more hours!"

"And what if I mysteriously died in those three hours? Huh?" asked Natalie.

"Then I'll bring the dress to your funeral, and I'll lay it by your grave! Now I'm going to go get ready. You ladies enjoy your girly 'getting-ready-time' I'll be back here in a few hours."

* * *

"Hannah! Would you stop complaining! Otherwise I'm just gonna leave your hair the way it is! I'm sure Peter would love that!" Susan scoffed at her as Hannah continued to complain.

"Well frankly right now I don't care! I'm actually starting to agree with Lina on this!"

She complained as Susan gave another pull to her hair, "OW!"

"Oh, stop whining, I'm almost done anyways!" Susan said as she placed another pin in her hair.

"There now turn around and see if all that suffering was worth it." Natalie said, turning Hannah towards a mirror. Her straight hair was in a loose side part with a single braid falling down the left side of her head like a waterfall.

"How?" Hannah asked dumbfounded. Lucy shook her head and laughed.

"You probably don't want to know." She said smirking, as she began to apply Hannah's makeup before turning to go get dressed.

"I don't know why Lina gets to do her hair and makeup by herself, without the pain." complained Hannah.

"Well, she's never worn dresses before, and she normally hates makeup. Maybe she just wants to get used to it." said Natalie strolling into the room. The other three girls' jaws dropped.

"What?" asked Natalie, blushing.

"You look gorgeous!" Squealed Lucy. Natalie looked perfect. Half her hair was braided around the sides of her head with the majority of it hanging loosely around her shoulders in beautiful curls. She was wearing the midnight blue dress with the diamond embellishments around the bodice. She looked breathtaking.

"Wow Nat." Hannah said astounded, but not at all surprised, Natalie had always been gorgeous.

"Now it's your turn Hannah." Natalie said shoving her sister behind the changing wall.

"I'm going!" Hannah laughed grabbing her dress from the hanger. After a bit of rustling from behind the changing screen, Hannah stepped out. All the girls giggled as she blushed.

"You look AMAZING, Hannah!" said Susan grinning wildly. A voice interrupted the girl's squealing.

"Yes. Yes, you all look lovely, but I didn't make the risky "almost-naked-trip" down the corridor, for you all to say how lovely everyone looked. So, someone please help me with my corset!" The girls all whipped around and saw Lina struggling to hold the back of her dress over together her corset and tie it together at the same time. Seeing her discomfort with the dress made the other girls laugh hysterically.

"This way, Lady Delina." A faun said, politely but quickly, ushering Lina into the bathroom. The door closed behind her and all the girls stood, laughing in a circle, until Lucy piped up.

"Did anyone catch a proper look of the dress?" All the girls' eyes widened. In Lina's hurried run to the bathroom, no one really had gotten a glimpse of what she looked like in a dress.

"It was green. I picked up that much." Susan said simply. Hannah huffed.

"Ugh! I've been waiting three hours to see that dress! Figures I'd forget to look at it!" Hannah said smacking herself on the forehead, and earning a disapproving look from both Susan and Natalie.

"Hey! I didn't spend twenty minutes on your makeup just so you could ruin it by hitting yourself!" Natalie scolded Hannah examining Hannah's face to make sure nothing was ruined or damaged. After a few giggles, Lina called out from the bathroom.

"I'm about ready to come out!" she shouted, gaining shrieks from the rest of the girls. She opened the door, with her eyes closed, slowly walking out in a gorgeous shimmering olive green gown embellished with a gold satin ribbon around the waist and the occasional diamond here and there on the skirt of the dress. Her black hair was loose and wavy, falling over her shoulders, with two parts of her hair wrapped around her head. But it was when she opened her eyes that made the girls shriek wildly. Her deep brown eyes were outlined with dark black eyeliner and covered by shimmering gold eye shadow. She grinned at all of them and lifted her dress. Her feet were bare, obviously showing that she was not going to wear heels, as usual. Natalie smiled and said, "You look absolutely stunning!" Then she scoffed and said "Would it kill you to wear high heels?" Lina rolled her eyes and stated,

"You're lucky you got me into a dress." Hannah and Natalie exchanged devious glances until Hannah replied, crossing her arms.

"Well, if you won't put on the shoes yourself, we will do it for you." Natalie and Hannah both grabbed a shoe and ran towards her, before Lina was knocked over by the two of them, she shouted,

"ALRIGHT, alright, would you two just calm down for a minute. I'll wear the shoes this once, and not because both of you were going to force me; because I didn't want to have to listen to the constant nagging from the two of you for the rest of my life." She snatched the heels from Hannah's grasp and shoved them forcefully onto her feet.

"Yay!" Natalie said smiling in victory. Hannah just rolled her eyes and said,

"Congratulations Natalie, now can we just go to the ball already. I don't want to keep the boys waiting." at that, the girls all snickered. Hannah blushed and pulled her sister towards the ballroom. They could hear Natalie singing down the hallway,

"Peter I love you! Peter I do!" The two queens and their friend grinned.

"You're not going to keep those shoes on are you?" asked Lucy with a smile. Lina winked.

"Oh, hell no." She replied, kicking them off.

* * *

"Would you please SHUT UP before someone hears you?!" Hannah said putting her hand over Natalie's mouth.

"What are we even doing out here again?" Natalie asked.

"We are out here, because you refuse to keep your mouth shut for more then a few seconds! And I don't want us to be made fools of for one night. Please Nat!" Hannah begged.

"Is that really how you think our dynamics work together? That we just end up looking like idiots, because of who we are?" Natalie asked this with concern etched on her face.

"No, I mean yes, not really? I don't know it just seems like that sometimes." Hannah muttered looking at her feet.

"Well, if it ever seems like that, I'm sorry. But we are who we are, and the Narnian's can go suck a dwarf if they don't like it, okay?" At this Hannah laughed, and looked at her and Natalie's beautiful gowns.

"I really wish Mum and Dad were here. It'd make life a whole lot easier, huh?" Natalie looked at her and said, "Yeah, it would be, but we still have each other." Hannah laughed at her,

"Come on; let's just go to the ball already before the guys go in without us." She grabbed Natalie's arm and pulled her into the foyer, where the Kings and Queens, Lord Gedemiah, Lord Herend, and Demetria were standing. Demetria sneered as the girls walked up to their escorts, who promptly presented them with kisses to the back of the girls' hands.

"You didn't do that for me Eddie!" Demetria whined, pouting and pointing to the two girls.

"Well you made him wear that ridiculous outfit, so I guess you're even." Peter mused out loud. Hannah, Natalie, and Caspian stifled their laughter as they stared at Edmund.

He was wearing a puke green tunic and pants with flowery designs on the torso. His swords sheath was covered in sparkling silvery-pink fabric. He looked miserable. Demetria's pout grew dramatically.

"I picked that out myself!" she wailed. "I think he looks dashing!" she added arrogantly. A voice carried down the stairs.

"UGH! Ed! What are you wearing?" everyone caught Lina skipping down the steps to the foyer her bare feet making tiny pap pap paps. She hopped down in front of Edmund.

"You look nice." He said, not making eye contact. Lina didn't look at him, she simply looked him over.

"Well you don't, so let's focus on that for right now now." she replied. Edmund grinned. After examining him, she said cheerfully, "Nothing my knife can't fix!" Demetria was fuming.

"And what do you plan to do with your knife?" She demanded, stepping in between Lina and the Just King.

"Exactly what you couldn't do with your eyes and tiny brain to match." Lina retorted darkly, dragging Edmund to a nearby powder room.

"Wait, wait, wait I don't want that knife anywhere-" Edmund started to protest but Lina shut him up by cutting a bit of fabric from the sleeves of his tunic revealing a deep hunter green color underneath. Edmund's eyes widened.

"Huh." he said. "Can you do that for the rest of it?" he asked. Lina nodded, beginning to cut the mesh-like fabric off. Soon, Edmund looked like less of a circus performer and more like the king he was supposed to be. Lina drug him back out to the foyer and shoved him towards Demetria.

"There, now he doesn't look like a circus freak." She said cheerfully.

"Shouldn't that little harlot be back at the whorehouse?" asked Demetria venomously. Everyone gasped and even Edmund was shocked. Lina smiled.

"I haven't the time to find a decent one!" she piped gleefully. "Maybe I can go to the one you crawled out of?" she asked sweetly. She saw Caspian smile widely at her, and she smirked at Demetria, who huffed.

"Come, Eddy." She said, pulling Edmund through the group. The ushers opened the dark ebony doors and a fanfare was heard, greeting the half-happy couple.

"Okay, if you three are done. I'm ready to make a fool of myself trying to waltz again." Hannah said with a smile.

"Just don't fall on your face and it'll be okay." Caspian teased, chuckling as Hannah pouted. Peter took Hannah's arm, and the two made their way through the door, greeted by another round of fanfare. Soon Caspian, Natalie, Susan, and Lord Gedemiah had entered the ballroom, leaving Lina and Lord Herend alone in the foyer. The Duke chuckled. Lina whipped around and smiled slightly.

"What?" she asked giggling. The Duke laughed louder, before sobering up and saying,

"Your way with words is brilliant!" he bellowed in a deep voice. Lina grinned.

"Thank you, Herend!" Immediately, the Duke's face immediately darkened.

"Lord Herend." He said sternly. Lina's cheerful grin was immediately wiped off her face.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I am not to be addressed by someone of a peasant's standing by my first name." he sneered. Lina took a step back and glared.

"And I have no time for a bastard like you." she snapped. Lord Herend strode over to her and grabbed her arm, making her his from the sheer force of his grasp.

"You will accompany me. You will be kind. You will be civil." For the first time in her life, Lina stared at a man in complete fear and submission. Lord Herend chuckled.

"Oh, and don't mention this to any of your friends in, ahem, high places." He added, grinning evilly. "You wouldn't want to ruin the announcement of your friend's courtship to King Peter and King Caspian!"

"Don't want to ruin anything more for Hannah and Natalie." Lina mumbled. Lord Herend chuckled again.

"Precisely." He dragged Lina into the ballroom.

* * *

**THANK YOU TO, Artistpeace FOR REVIEWING AND BEING THE FIRST TO TELL ME THE HARRY POTTER QUOTE FROM THE LAST CHAPTER. RATE AND REVIEW. **


	8. Courtships and Incidents'

Chapter 7:

Edmund glared across the dance floor as Lina finally strode in with Lord Herend, smiling sweetly to the Lords and Ladies as they passed.

'_Oh no. Now she's actually enjoying that idiot's company!'_ As soon as he thought it he was brought back to reality by Demetria,

"Eddy! I want to dance. Stop staring at that tramp." She whined in a nasally voice. Edmund had had enough of her.

"Oh, would you shut up!" He snapped, exasperated.

"Excuse me?!" Demetria exclaimed, not knowing if she should be surprised or insulted.

"I think you heard me perfectly well! I don't recall stuttering." Edmund said slowly.

"You just need some time to cool off! It must be this big crowd. It isn't good for you, Eddy. Let's get a drink." whimpered Demetria, completely oblivious to what Edmund was saying.

"Yes... a drink" Edmund replied monotonously. "That'll do me good." He allowed himself to be dragged away by Demetria.

* * *

'_Twirl jump, spin, left, and turn right.'_ Natalie's thoughts were interrupted by Caspian's chuckling. She looked up at him, and he promptly spun her around and twirled her once again until she was facing him.

"What's so funny?" She asked afraid she had done something wrong.

"You're thinking too much." he said chuckling once more.

"How so?" Natalie asked genuinely confused.

"It's not some big complicated dance that you have to memorize. Nat, this is a party. Have some fun with it." he said smiling. Natalie blushed. Caspian was about to say something, when Peter, who was grinning wildly, interrupted him. Caspian looked a bit startled at first but slowly he smile suddenly turned to a grin as Peter broke out into a large smile. He looked at Natalie and quickly said,

"Uh, wait you here." He stopped and shook his head as Natalie looked confused. "Uhm, wait for you me." He shook his head again. "Just wait here." He pleaded. Natalie looked confused, but nodded.

"Smooth Casp, very smooth." Peter whispered as Caspian swiftly elbowed him in the stomach. The boys took off to the front of the ballroom. Picking up a goblet from a nearby waiter, Peter clinked the glass with the hilt of his dagger and guests started to pay attention.

"Ah hello!" he greeted cheerfully. His guests smiled back at him. "I hope you all are enjoying the ball." He was greeted by murmurs of affirmation and some cheers. He continued, "As most of you know we have recently had three lovely women staying here at Cair Paravel. Guests of Aslan himself." Everyone slowly started nodding or murmuring causing him to continue; "These three marvelous ladies have made their way into my family by showing their pure hearts and ability to beat Caspian in an archery contest." laughs were heard from across the hall. Causing Peter to carry on, "There is one special out of the three however, who has captured my heart in the past four months", Peter stated strolling up to Hannah, who was blushing like made, something she realized she had done so much more with Peter around. Peter smirked eyeing her blush. His smirk grew as he continued, "And tonight I would like to ask her, if she would be mine and give me the honor of courting her." More murmurs. Hannah found herself speechless, unable to do anything but stare at Peter.

Peter's eyes started to glisten as he saw her speechless and whispered "Hannah I-", but was cut off by her lips meeting his. Wild cheering erupted in the ballroom. After what seemed like eternity had passed, they finally pulled apart, resting their foreheads against one another. Peter grinned dipping his head down and whispered only loud enough for Hannah to hear, "I'm assuming that's a yes?"

"Oi, you." Lina said in a hard voice, skipping over to the new couple, poking Peter on the chest. "You keep sucking her face off like that, and you won't have a face to suck with! Got it!?" She cast Peter a very serious look that made him begin to stutter, "B-b-but sh-sh-she." he babbled. Lina and Hannah laughed.

"If this is Pete now, who gave that very lovely speech all but two minutes ago?" asked Hannah grinning at her courtier. Peter rolled his eyes at the two girls, then shushed them, seeing Caspian step up into Peter's prior place at the front of the ballroom.

"Well seeing as Peter just exploited my failure at archery, I believe I should be hiding from you all." he stated, his voice shaking. He gained some laughter from the audience. He continued. "I've never been good at speaking in public, and I'm not really good with feelings and emotions as such. But there is a lovely young lady who is also new in Narnia that has stolen my heart." He stared straight at Natalie. "Natalie, I know, I haven't asked you this in private. And I know I'm putting you on the spot, but what else can I do?" Natalie's face was kept in shock, her mouth a perfect round "O". Caspian carried on, "Will you allow me..." he gulped, "to court you?" All the guests turned to Natalie, who was standing with her lips quivering. Caspian, thinking he did something wrong, raced towards her.

"What's wrong, Natalie?" he asked. "What have I done wrong?" Natalie shook her head and beamed.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." she replied snaking her arms around his neck allowing him to peck her on the forehead. The two pulled away but still kept their arms around one another. But then Caspian cradled her face with his hands. His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips, as they both slowly began to lean towards her. "Aww's" were audible from all across the room.

"Oi Caspy boy! That warning goes for you too, your majesty!" Lina yelled from across the room, causing the couple to blush and pull away from each other. The five friends laughed as the happy couple approached. Caspian placed his arm around Natalie, who was currently smiling and giggling.

"Where's Lord Herend, Lina?" inquired Peter smiling, but as soon as he said this Lina paled noticeably.

"He probably just went to get us some drinks. I-I'll go find him." she replied, beginning to walk away. Caspian grabbed her arm to stop her, and she let out a hiss. Caspian immediately let go, and Lina rushed away. Natalie was about to go after her, but Caspian stopped her.

"I'll take care of it, love." he said, giving her a quick peak on the cheek, then following right behind Lina. He weaved around guests and waiters, and caught a glimpse of Lina just outside the ballroom with Lord Herend; however they didn't look like they were having a pleasant conversation. Lord Herend was gritting his teeth, and he had an iron grip on Lina's upper arm. Lina looked frightened as anything; she was trembling and shielding her face from Lord Herend, who began to shake her violently, yelling something that was drowned out by the music. He raised his hand, about to slap her across the face when Caspian interrupted.

"Is there a problem here?" He said walking out into the hall, his face contorted in rage. Herend lower his hand and let go of Lina.

"M-my King!" Herend didn't stutter long, and soon his voice was normal. "Congratulations on your courtship to Lady Natalie." Though Herend's voice was calm, Caspian hid no rage.

"Lina, come here." Lina immediately pulled away from Herend's grasp and stumbled towards Caspian. He noticed her cradling her right arm, and pulled it in front of his view. Purple, blotchy bruises covered the upper half of her arm. Caspian gritted his teeth as to not rip Herend's head off right then and there.

"You will leave tonight." Caspian said evenly. "And you will not return." Lord Herend nodded curtly, staring at the floor, then departed, his cloak billowing out behind him.

"Th-thanks Casp." Lina said shakily. Caspian simply nodded, wrapping his arm around Lina's shoulders to support her shaking frame. He plastered a smile on his face, trying to hide the tears forming in his eyes as he looked at her weakened figure. Before they took more then a few steps towards the ballroom, Lina collapsed to the ground.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! THE END!**

* * *

**LOL JK JK- I'M NOT THAT CRUEL**

* * *

"Edmund, are you listening to me? EDMUND?!" Demetria screeched waving a hand in front of his face. Edmund looked back at her completely dazed, and then seeming to realize who wanted his attention, chugged the rest of his drink. He put the glass down on the table, having to take his time to make sure he didn't miss it, answered trying to hide his sarcasm,"Yes dear?" She took an annoyed sigh,

"Well if you would actually stop drinking, you would have heard me telling you about how," she took a step towards him and started to play with his tunic, "About how you need to stay away from Lina, Natalie, and Hannah. Especially Lina! I will not have you hanging out with that... with that maid! People will start to talk soon. She'll ruin our reputation, and we wouldn't want that, right? You being the king and me being the future queen, so from now on you need to stay. Away. From. Her! Okay sweetie?" Edmund looked at her with disgust and swatted her hand away. He took a stumbling step towards her, their faces mere inches apart. She could feel his drunken hot breath on her face. He raised a finger at her and yelled,

"Now listen here sweetie, if you ever called Lina a maid again, I am going to r-".

"Help, someone, please! Help Me!" Caspian shouted. Edmund wobbled around to see Caspian holding Lina's fainted figure. His heart immediately dropped, and he started to walk over to her when Demetria grabbed his arm,

"Don't you dare leave me to go help that slut. She is worthless, and as your bride to be I suggest you do what I say and-"

'_HOW DARE SHE'_, Edmund thought angrily.

"You know what?" He yelled cutting her off. "You are the most horrible person I have ever met, and the fact that you would even say such a thing when Lina could dead is the most selfish, conceited, bitchy thing I have ever heard in my life. I am done with us. I am done with you. Now you better leave now, or I will order the guards to see you out. Goodbye, Demetria. I hope to never see you again." He walked off towards Lina and Caspian, leaving Demetria gawking at his words.

Edmund stumbled over to the two of them, and when he got a closer look at Lina's bruises, he could feel his stomach twist. Not thinking for a moment, he turned to Caspian,

"I'll...hiccup...take her to her...hiccup...room." He said swaying. Caspian raised his eyebrows uneasily.

"Are you sure, Ed?" he asked the young king. "You look a bit... out of sorts." Edmund shook his head impertinently.

'_Need her happy.'_ He thought to himself.

"I've... hiccup... nothing better to do, seeing as I just ended...hiccup... my courtship, not but... hiccup hiccup... twenty seconds ago." he stated. Caspian opened his mouth to apologize, but Edmund cut him off. "So worth the look on her face…" he said dazedly. Caspian nodded.

"Well, just, don't drop her." he said, as Edmund picked her up, bridal style, and stumblingly carried her to her quarters, feeling the stares from everyone in the ballroom as he left. When he got to her room, he attempted to lay her carefully down on the bed, but in his drunken haze he ended up throwing her. Lina's eyes snapped open, and then she closed then again, squeezing them tight as she could, and slowly tried to sit up. She looked around in a daze and turned to see Edmund standing next to her. She raised an eyebrow and asked in a hoarse weak voice, "What happened? And what are you doing here?" She moved and hissed, as she felt throbbing in her upper arms.

"How did that...hic... happen?" Edmund asked, pointing at her bruised arms. She looked down at her bruises, and groaned. They had gotten worse, much worse. The bruises had turned from a light blue to completely black and purple; she looked back at Edmund, noticing a red tint to the Just King's eyes.

"Ed? Are you drunk?" She asked incredulously. Edmund waved his hand in dismissal.

"Nonsense only had six glasses of champagne. Or was it rum?" he pondered aloud, before falling over. Lina immediately jumped out of bed and caught him before he made contact with the hard floor. Knowing she didn't have the strength to drag him back to his room, she vaulted him onto her soft bed. He simply grunted, and began to snore. Lina rolled her eyes an asked aloud.

"Edmund, what am I going to do with you?" She laughed at him and a smile grew on her face,

"Well..." Edmund muttered incoherently. Lina turned, shocked, not realizing that he had been awake the entire time. Edmund continued, "I just ended it with Demetria. I think I need a little cheering up." He slurred obviously still under the influence.

"Edmund Pevensie!" Lina shouted, surprised yet appalled. "If all your here for is for some 'cheering up', then you might as well leave now!" She snapped "And don't let the door hit you on the way out!" She shook her head at him, not believing what he had said. He burst out laughing at her, and she slowly turned her head to look at him, giving him a confused look. He sat straight and shook his head still laughing, then finally spoke,

"Lina. It was just a joke! I was only messing with you. I carried you here when I found out you had fainted...I was worried about you and wanted to make sure you were okay." Lina looked down, trying to hide her obvious blush. Still trying to hide it she said mockingly,

"Wow Ed, for a king I suspected more from you. Joking around with a subject like that. I'm ashamed." He rolled his eyes and said,

"I know, I so ashamed, especially since I said that to a cripple." She grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at his face,

"Hey, I'm not a cripple! You're the one who can barely stand up."

"I can't argue with that," He laughed "So will you tell what happened to you and how you got those," he very gently grazed a finger across her arm "bruises?" She blushed, feeling a tingle run down her arm, but then she remembered what had happened earlier that night, and what Lord Herend had done to her. The light in her eyes turned from happiness to hatred. Edmund's eyebrow's furrowed with concern,

"Lina? Are you alright?" She looked away not wanting to meet his eyes, forcing a fake smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm fine, no need to worry..."

"Then why don't you tell me what happened?" He inquired taking her hand in his, "and don't tell me nothing because you have the bruises to prove it." She sighed in defeat, and finally met his gaze, allowing him to see the tears forming in her eyes. He grazed his thumb across her hand, trying to comfort her; she smiled at him and said with her shaking voice,

"Let's just say my mums not the only one who's hurt me." She said not making eye contact. As soon as the words left Lina's mouth Edmund's face went red with rage.

"What the hell did he do to you?" He said his voice wavering as he attempted to calm himself down.

"I said something he did not like and he g-grabbed my arm," Lina started gesturing to her bruises. "But Caspian, luckily, got to me before he did any real damage." Edmund's eyes turned black with hatred and he tried to calmly speak through gritted teeth,

"I'm going to kill that bastard." He began to yell "If he ever shows his face here again, he will regret it. That little-."

"Edmund, look I'm fine, see? And you don't need to worry because Caspian already got rid of him. "Edmund shook his head and then placed both hands on her cheeks,

"Lina, you have to promise me to be careful." he stated, completely sober. "Because if Caspian hadn't shown up, who knows what would have happened or what he'd have… I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to you... And I swear, from now on, I won't let anyone hurt you ever again." She smiled at him and then whispered,

"You should get some sleep you must be tired." He nodded, turned, and stumbled away. Before he reached the door, Lina whispered,

"Thanks Ed, for everything. "

"Anytime," he said walking, as Lina slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

Lina slowly opened her eyes, and groaned at the pain that tingled all over her body. She sighed and squeezed her eyes tightly together hoping the pain would magically go away.

"LINA!" shouted Natalie and Hannah, as the two attacked her with hugs. Lina smiled and said,

"Hey guys, it's great to see you too, but can you do me a favor? GET OFF ME! Before I get anymore bruises!" The two quickly let go, and Lina rolled her shoulders a few times, trying to regain feeling in them. Natalie had heard the weakness in her voice and could see the pain remaining in her eyes that she was trying to hide. Natalie put a halfhearted smile on her face and said, "Caspian told us what happened... I can't believe someone could be so cruel to you, you of all people. Lina, I am so sorry."

Lina looked away and gritted her teeth. "It's fine." She grumbled.

"No it's not fine!" blurted Hannah. "That guy manhandled you, almost slapped you, And all you have to say is 'it's fine'? Lina, that guy is such a bastard and if he thinks he can show his face here again, I will personally -".

"Hannah, I'm fine. Really." Lina interrupted. "The stuff that happened with Lord Herend is over now, and we all just need to forget about it. Yes, I would like to give him a nice kick to the groin, but all we can do is just be glad that he's gone." Lina said, trying to calm her worried friends down.

"Spoken like a true diplomat!" exclaimed a certain Magnificent King, as he strutted into the room, pecking Hannah on the cheek and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I especially enjoyed the part about the 'nice kick to the groin'." laughed Caspian, also pecking his love on the cheek. Lina groaned and flopped back onto her bed.

"I swear if you guys are going to do that every time I'm around, I will vomit." She said with a roll of her eyes. The four others chuckled.

"Well...we just wanted to tell you that you'll be leaving in four days' time for about five months." Peter remarked, catching the girls' attention.

"What?" Natalie and Hannah said unwinding themselves from their suitors arms.

"And where, might I ask, are we going?" asked Natalie. Caspian and Peter began to shift uncomfortably.

Lina's eyes widened. "What's going on?" she asked Caspian bit the inside of his lip. Susan barged into the room.

"Oh, just tell her already!" she cried. The boys continued to fidget. Susan rolled her eyes, huffed, and turned to Lina.

"There's only one person going to Calormeren. You-" Susan sputtered out, causing angry outbursts from Hannah and Natalie.

"What are you talking about? Why are you sending her away?" shouted Natalie furiously.

"And more importantly, why aren't we going together!?" Hannah screamed. Growing tired of the screeching, Peter quickly covered Hannah's mouth with his large calloused hand, causing Hannah to look up at him in disdain. Lina scoffed.

"Okay first off that's just rude. Secondly, why on earth would I be going alone to a place I've never been to, never seen, and have barely heard of?" Lina said indignantly.

"Coolm youf plesh muff youfr hamnd vwhum my mouf." Hannah said in a garbled manner, causing Peter to smile and shake his head. Edmund walked through the door and laughed at Hannah's annoyed expression as Peter kept his hand pressed firmly to her mouth.

"So have you told her?" Edmund asked glancing around, and letting his eyes linger on Lina, who was still lying in her bed.

"Yes they have, thank you very much." Lina huffed. Edmund smiled sadly, and glanced at Peter, who suddenly burst out.

"DID YOU JUST LICK ME!?" He asked, pulling his hand quickly away from Hannah's mouth. Hannah smiled sweetly and stared up at him with innocent eyes. Peter returned the smile, and in the next second, was found chasing Hannah out of the room and into the garden. Feeling the uneasiness, Natalie and Caspian began to stutter.

"We..."

"Uh..."

"Forgot..."

"The fauns…"

"Haven't..."

"We have to go." They said together, and dashed out of the room. Lina and Edmund chuckled.

"Typical Hannah and Peter to go running off into the sunset like some love struck pea bodies, and not to mention Natalie and Caspian seem like the perfect awkward couple." Edmund boomed sarcastically. He smiled hearing Lina giggle.

"So are you going to find some interesting excuse to leave me alone too?" Lina asked, grinning and turning to Edmund.

"No, I wouldn't do that to you." He said sincerely. "Calormeren is a beautiful place. The only thing to worry about is getting tan, but that won't be too much of a problem for you." He said pointing to Lina's brown skin. "There are beaches, and the market, and the street performers, and the castle you're staying at is amazing an-"

"Ed, whatever you have to say about Calormeren to make me amazingly happy about going, isn't going to change the fact that I'm leaving to... Wait, why am I leaving?" Lina asked, Edmund sighed.

"Certain people in the castle believe that you need some, ah, etiquette lessons?" Edmund shrugged as he said this. Lina looked outraged.

"Okay, I know I'm not the most proper of ladies." Edmund snorted at her words, as she threw him a glare. "BUT, what kind of etiquette training takes FIVE MONTHS!?" She asked, raising her voice. Edmund's face contorted in anger.

"FIVE MONTHS!?"

"Yes five months! I thought you knew? You certainly knew more than me not thirty seconds ago."

"I thought I did too." He said darkly, storming out of the room.

* * *

Hannah was currently sitting up in a tree hiding, and trying to hold in her laughter as Peter searched the grounds, looking behind every tree and bush attempting to find her.

"Hannah, come out come out wherever you are." Peter said trying to sound as innocent as possible. "I know you're out here, love." He said, but seeing as she was nowhere in plain sight, he moved onto a different part of the woods assuming she was not there.

Sighing in relief Hannah swung her leg over the branch she was sitting on and began to descend down the tree. But on the last few rows of branches, her foot slipped off of the bark, leaving her dangling ten feet off the ground.

"Peter?!" Hannah shrieked, struggling to regain her footwork only to have herself slip and fall further down the tree. "Peter!" She screamed once again trying to claw her way back into the tree. But once again she began to slip, and slowly started to lose her grip on the branch. She only had one hand left on the branch and one by one each finger slowly slipped off the branch. Hannah screamed, bracing herself for the impact of the ground, but instead of feeling pain, she realized she felt none at all. She opened her eyes, which she had not realized that she had clenched shut when she fell, and saw Aslan standing in front of her.

"Aslan." She breathed as she finally stood up, and bowed to the great lion.

"Rise child." He said chuckling. Hannah straightened her back, and stared.

"When... how... why are you here?" She stuttered, causing Aslan to once again chuckle.

"I'm afraid, child, that I am not the bearer of good news." he said gravely

"Please tell me it's not like the last "news" you told me and Natalie." Hannah said cringing inwardly at the memory.

"No, however take great caution, and warn young Delina as well, Lord Herend and Lady Demetria are not yet done wreaking havoc."

"What do you-" Hannah started but was soon interrupted by her very worried courtier.

"Hannah?! Hannah?!" Peter yelled, panicked.

Hannah was very worried, turning around she asked "Asl-" but the great cat had gone, disappeared. And before she could think anything more of it Peter tore through the trees and almost tackled her.

"What happened? Are you okay? I heard you yell." Peter asked frantically, searching her eyes for any signs of harm.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Um, just fell from the low branch. But I'm fine. But right now I need to find Lina."

* * *

**HELLO ALL, WHEW TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY! HOPE IT MAKES UP FOR THE UPDATE WAIT! REVIEW PLEASE!**


	9. AUTHORS NOTE: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ

Ok ok i know this is one of those annoying pesky little authors notes- and I'M SORRY! I'm sorry it's been a while since i've updated but I SWEAR I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY! The Maraudas and I are currently working on the story together again and it's going to be finished on my personal account and then re added again (with all the changes and stuff) to our Maraudas account. We are currently working on the next chapter and it should be up by at least the end of the week. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON US OR THIS STORY! We finally figured out where we want to go with it and it promises to be amazing!

XOXO DayDreamer1212

P.S.: THERE IS A POLL UP ON MY PROFILE! I'D LOVE FOR YOU ALL TO VOTE!


	10. Arguments and Ideas

Chapter 8

"LINA?!" shouted Hannah as she burst through the doors of her friend's bedroom. To her dismay, no one was there. She had searched practically every room in the entire castle_. 'Of course, the one time I need to tell her something important she has completely dropped off the face of the Earth,'_ she thought to herself. '_Where could she be?'_ She leaned against the wall trying to think of where her friend could have disappeared to, and finally she snapped her fingers and thought to herself, The Library. She took off. By the time she got there, she was completely out of breath. She sighed heavily and flung open the doors; she heard two people talking and look around some of the book cases. She found Natalie sitting on a window seal. She was reading Cyrano De Bergerac "Looks like my good luck just keeps on improving." Natalie looked up at her and asked,

"Are you okay? It looks like you just ran a few leagues." Hannah rolled her eyes and sarcastically spat, "Oh yeah, I'm just great! I've spent the past thirty minutes looking all over this castle for Lina and still haven't found her! So yeah, I'm just peachy!" Natalie laughed,

"Does someone need help finding her?" She asked Hannah, speaking in a baby voice just to annoy her. Hannah rolled her eyes and yelled,

"No, I just want to walk around aimlessly for the next hour! YES I WANT HELP!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" She said as she started to get up, but Hannah stopped her.

"It's fine. You're busy! I'll figure this out!" With that, she ran from the room and began to wrack her brains for any possible place of Lina's hiding. '_Really, this girl is impossible. I love her to pieces, but she's ridiculous. I-'_ "OOF!" Hannah realized that she had developed a knack for running into people and so did Edmund.

"I swear if another girl falls on top of me, there won't be any more of me to actually fall on!" Edmund said sarcastically. Hannah got up, brushed herself off, and helped the Just King to his feet

"Sorry." She mumbled. "I'm looking for Lina. She can't go to Calormen."

"I know." huffed Edmund, rubbing the back of his head. "Five months. It's ridiculous!

"Not just that." Hannah whispered in a trance-like state. Edmund looked worried.

"What's up?" he asked trying to read Hannah's eyes. Hannah huffed and shot him a sad look.

"We just really need to find her." she whispered sadly.

"That won't be too difficult..." Edmund muttered scratching the back of his head.

"Why?" Hannah asked irritated.

"She left ten minutes ago to go talk to Caspian. They're in a meeting right now."

"Okay, but first- How the bloody hell did I miss that?" She asked into thin air, making Edmund laugh as he led her down the corridor to Caspian's office. Edmund reached his hand up to the oak study doors to knock, but was cut short when Hannah barged in on Caspian and Lina, who jumped up from their seats to face the doorway. Edmund followed quickly and quietly.

"Hannah! What's wrong?" asked Lina knitting her eyebrows together as she stared at her panting friend.

"Why... the... bloody... hell... are you... so hard... to find?" Hannah panted attempting to catch her breath.

"And… why… the… bloody… hell… are you… talking… like this?" Lina asked very amused and yet puzzled. Hannah, who had finally regained her composure retorted,

"Just shut up and listen, will you? You can't go to Calormeren!"

"All right, I know it's a bit of a long time, but surely you can live without me for a few months?" Lina said jokingly.

"No, that's not what I'm- ugh- yes we'll miss you terribly but, you, you just…" Hannah raked her fingers through her hair, not knowing quite how to explain what Aslan had told her.

"If you two need to talk, we'll leave you alone." Caspian suggested nervously, his eyes darting back and forth between the two girls.

"If you don't mind." Hannah stated. Caspian shook his head, and he and Edmund exited the office. The door shut with a quiet click behind them.

"Demetria is going to cause some major trouble in Calormen." Hannah said simply. Lina crossed her arms and cast her friend a '_Really?' _kind of look.

"I know she can be a bit of a, well not a nice thing to say. But I doubt she can do much! The worst she did was call me a whore and that's not the worst I've gotten." Lina told her friend, trying to reassure her.

"Lina, Aslan talked to me. It's not safe. Something bad is coming, and it's not going to be good for anyone if you leave here." Hannah explained worriedly. Lina shook her head and placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Everything happens for the best. Plus, if you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of an awkward seventh wheel here, now." Hannah opened her mouth to protest this, but Lina continued. "I don't take it personally, but maybe I can find my use in Calormen. Everyone else makes their public appearances, and I just sit and do nothing because I'm nobody here, and I'm not courting a royal." Hannah opened her mouth to protest again, but Lina continued. "Once again, I don't take this personally. But you know me! I want to do something, learn things, be useful! If Calormen is where I'm going to accomplish this, then that's where I'm going to go, and I'm not going to let a whiny brat get in the way of me living my life."

"YOU CAN'T GO BECAUSE EDMUND IS IN LOVE WITH YOU AND GOING TO MISS YOU TOO MUCH!" Peter blurted out, as he and Edmund rushed into the room. "I mean what?" He concluded dropping his panicked appearance. Everyone stared at each other rather awkwardly until he doubled over laughing.

"YOU..SHOULD HAVE.. SEEN YOUR.. FACES!" He roared, punctuating each phrase with a hearty laugh. Hannah and Lina quickly joined in the laughter, while Edmund stood there, turning a rather unattractive maroon color.

"Anyways," Lina said returning her attention to Hannah, "I'm going Hannah- end of story."

"B-but, you you, you're-" Hannah babbled.

"No Hannah no 'buts'. I'm going. This is my decision."

"Fine," Hannah huffed. "Just don't say I didn't warn you." With that she stormed out of the office.

* * *

"Hannah! Hannah! Ugh, no wonder it took her that long to find me! I mean do castle hallways have to be this confusing?!" Lina shouted running down one of the vast hallways of the Cair looking for Hannah.

After another half an hour of continuous searching she threw her hands in the air and yelled exasperatedly, "Ugh, ok that is it! I give up! This girl is absolutely positively impossible to find!"

* * *

After her fight with Lina, Hannah found herself seated on one of the benches in the Cair's rose garden.

"Ugh, why does that girl have to be so stubborn?! For once you think someone would actually listen to me but no! Apparently Hannah never knows what she's talking about! UGH!" Hannah groaned as she frustratedly racked her hands through her hair, looking at her shoes.

"You do know talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, right?" Peter stated walking up to the flustered girl.

"Well then, go ahead and put me in a ward- because I must have gone bonkers ages ago." Hannah laughed bitterly.

"Hannah, love. You know Lina can take care of herself." Peter said softly, sitting down next to her.

"I know that. It's just- I don't want to loose anyone else. And I just can't help but feel that if Lina does go- Peter something bad's going to happen."

"Tell everyone to meet in my office in twenty minutes- I've got an idea." Peter said half smiling then turning on his heel leaving Hannah sitting there utterly confused.

* * *

**A/N Ohhhhhh, what's Peters idea- SO SO SO SO SORRY this update took so long and that it's kind of short- my goal is to now put out an update every Saturday or Sunday so please don't give up on me! In other news I have a poll up on my profile that I'd love for y'all to take! RATE and REVIEW please!**


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